HTTYD: Frozen Fire
by GuardianDragon98
Summary: Inspired by Frozen and co-authored with WolfWitchHuntress1318. On Zenna's 22nd birthday, her life takes a magical turn when she discovers that she is now an Elemental - the first in her family in years! But when she accidentally wounds Stryka in magic practice, Zenna now fears that her gift is a curse and runs away. On top of that, an old enemy returns for revenge...
1. Prologue: The Fiersome Secret

**Hello everyone! This is it! My Frozen-inspired story! Enjoy :) **

**Note: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING.**

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**The Fiersome Secret**

_For as long as they can remember, the Fiersome family has always been carefully watched over by the gods. Their purity of heart, strength and courage in battle and their love and compassion to anyone in need had won the gods' favor. And in return, Odin and his wife, Freyja, along with all the Valkyries in Valhalla decided to give a very special gift. But to whom in the Fiersome family, they were unsure._

_It was the kindness of one Fiersome daughter that sealed the deal. In order to test the Fiersomes, Freyja disguised herself as a lost girl and went into the woods of the South. There, she was helped by __**Eira**__, a 22 year-old daughter of the Fiersome family. Merciful, just like her name, Eira guided the lost girl out of the forest where the goddess revealed herself. With gratitude, Freyja, her husband and the Valkyries gave to Eira Fiersome the Elementals-the gifts of fire, ice, nature and lighting. And in order to show the mark of the gods' favor, Eira's once blue eyes became violet, the color of royalty._

_Eira used her powers well, for the service of many and in goodwill. In time, she married and gave birth to another daughter who had her eyes and developed her powers when she turned 22. For years, it was like that. Whenever a daughter was born to the Fiersomes, they will have the gods' favor and be blessed with the powers of an Elemental when they reached the age of 22._

_However, times began to change. People now began to fear the Fiersomes and their powers despite of the good the family had done for many. One Fiersome daughter, Eira Zennaria, was persecuted. Accused of witchcraft, she was sentenced to die by being burned at the stake. Before the time came for her execution, Eira Zennaria pleaded to the gods and goddesses of Valhalla for mercy. She begged that no other Fiersome will suffer the same fate she was about to suffer._

_With heavy hearts, the gods granted Eira Zennaria's last wish as she burned at the stake. From then on, no Fiersome daughter was born with violet eyes or the gifts of the Elemental. For years, it seemed that it was to be for forever that the Fiersomes shall no longer be blessed with the Elementals…_

_Then, one Fiersome daughter was born with the violet eyes. Already at the moment of her birth, the shaman woman of the South foretold a great destiny for her. The child, the shaman said, will encounter many trials, suffer pain due to loss and heartache, lose an important part of herself even…but she will become someone great. A courageous warrior with the bravery and valor of a Valkyrie, the bonded sister to a great Dragon Master…and be the most powerful daughter the Fiersome family has ever had._

_Who is this daughter of the Fiersomes you may ask?_

_You all know her as the Dragon Doctor and the Second Dragon Master. But to her family and friends, she is simply known as…__**Zenna Fiersome.**_

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**Well the cat's out of the bag and now you all know who's the Elsa in this story :D**

**Anyways…read and review!**

**-GuardianDragon98**


	2. 1: Best Birthday Ever

**Well yesterday, my younger brother graduated from Grade School and, today, I have graduated from High School :)**

**In celebration, I present to you all the first official chapter of HTTYD: Frozen Fire!**

**WARNING: Feels may go haywire in this story so keep a box of tissues and a pillow just in case.**

**NOTE: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING!**

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**Chapter One: Best Birthday Ever**

'_This is officially the best day of my life!_' Zenna Fiersome thought as she entered the Great Hall and was greeted with all of her family, friends and all the villagers of Berk cheering, "_SURPRISE!_" along with the dragons.

It was her 22nd birthday and Zenna couldn't be any happier.

Of course, she wasn't really surprised. She knew that everyone had been planning a surprise party for her. Aside from the smiles she had been getting and giving back since this morning and Eret taking her out on a '_distraction flight_' on Skullcrusher to give everyone enough time to prepare, Zenna knew that today was her birthday. Now she was being given all kinds of wonderful gifts, greeted, well-wished and hugged and kissed by her parents, El and Stryka.

"Zewnwa! 'Wenty-two!" Elias II Stoick Fiersome, Zenna's one year-old baby brother, giggled and clapped his little hands in delight. Zenna smiled and lovingly kissed her little brother's forehead. She just loved the sweet baby boy to bits and pieces.

"_Haapprry Birwthdway, Zennwa…_" Stryka warbled as she nuzzled her human sister. "Thanks, girl. I love you," Zenna smiled as she gave her one-eyed Night Fury a hug.

Zenna's parents, Edgar and Henna, smothered her with hugs and kisses. "You've grown up so much…I guess this means I can no longer call you my precious little gemstone," Edgar chuckled as he tried to swing his daughter around, but to no avail. True enough, Zenna was too big now for her father to pick up and swing around anymore. "Time flies so fast…Oh, Zenna love…we are so, so, _so _proud of you. Me, your father, El…and Elias…We're all very proud," Henna said gently as she kissed her daughter on both cheeks. Zenna felt herself blush with childlike sheepishness and happiness. "Mom, Dad, it's thanks to you two that I've gotten to where I am now. From the bottom of my heart…_thank you_," She said gratefully.

Then Hiccup, Chief of Berk and Zenna's bonded brother, stepped forward with a lovely crown of woven vines, tulips and orchids. "For you, my sister," He said, bowing to her as if she were a queen. "Thank you, my good Chief," Zenna smiled and let Hiccup place the crown on her head before they hugged. "Happy Birthday, Zen…" he whispered to her. "Thanks, Hicc…" Zenna whispered back as they let go. Then she took time to look at how well decorated the Great Hall was. "You did a fine job getting everyone organized for this," She commented. "Hey, when it comes to parties I do my best," Hiccup shrugged, smiling. "Okay?" Zenna asked coyly. "Okay," Hiccup replied and they slammed hands while Toothless decided to join in the love and gave Zenna a happy lick. "Thanks, Toothless," Zenna giggled, wiping dragon saliva off of her face.

That's when Zenna's boyfriend, Eret, Son of Eret, came forward. He was just about to greet Zenna when the young Fiersome lady just grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him into a sweet, loving kiss. A couple of Vikings let out whoops, hollers and a bunch of catcalls while the dragons crooned. Skullcrusher, Eret's Rumblehorn, merely snorted with amusement.

"I'm guessing I don't need to greet you anymore?" Eret asked jokingly once he and Zenna broke apart for air. "You already greeted me this morning and having you here…it's already the best birthday ever for me," Zenna smiled. "Well, that's one birthday off the list of the ones I need to attend in order to make up for the 12 years I've missed. Eleven more to go!" Eret smiled back and held his girlfriend close. "I love you…" he whispered, softly kissing the top of Zenna's head. "I love you too…" Zenna said softly, giving her boyfriend another sweet kiss.

Then Gobber and Valka arrived. "Alright, you two, save some loving for your wedding day," Valka laughed merrily. "Aw come on, Auntie Valka. It's my birthday. I do what I please," Zenna rolled her eye playfully before embracing her brother's mother. Gobber then raised his tankard hand up high. "Well, what're we waiting for? Tonight, we party like Vikings and Dragons!" he hollered, earning thunderous applause.

Zenna grinned as Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, Ruffnut and Tuffnut pulled her in to join the party. And like, all Fiersome birthday parties, Zenna's party was wild. A bunch of people came to watch the Twins have a drinking contest while the dragons had fun playing with the children and wrestling with some of the men. There was even an arm-wrestling contest. Eret easily won every round but when Hiccup challenged him to a sword fight, even the former dragon trapper couldn't beat him. Wielding Inferno in his left hand, Hiccup expertly parried and disarmed Eret in mere minutes. All throughout the celebration, Zenna was all smiles. She got a ton of amazing gifts and when all of her loved ones gave special speeches, she was close to crying tears of joy.

Then came the time for her special dance.

As the musicians played wonderful music (_**I'd like to include Ed Sheeran's "Give Me Love" here ;))**_, Zenna couldn't possibly think how her day could get any better. First, she danced with her father Edgar and then Hiccup. But when her brother handed her to Eret, Zenna saw him wink at Hiccup and Astrid. Then, before Zenna could ponder on what was going to happen, Hiccup began to whistle.

And it wasn't just any ordinary whistle. It was the whistle his father, Stoick the Vast, had whistled when he and Valka sang their song. Zenna could only gawk at her best human friend and his axe-wielding girlfriend as she Eret began to dance.

**Hiccup**

_I'll swim and sail on savage seas_

_With ne'er a fear of drowning_

_And gladly ride the waves of life_

_If you will marry me_

Zenna smiled as Hiccup sang that old familiar tune. But she was also confused. Why would Hiccup be singing the song?

**Hiccup**

_No scorching sun_

_Nor freezing cold_

_Will-_

"Will stop me on my jour-ney!" Gobber suddenly sang out! "GOBBER!" almost everyone else in the Great Hall yelled in exasperation. "Sorry…" the two-limbed blacksmith said sheepishly. Undaunted, Hiccup took Astrid's hand in his.

**Hiccup**

_If you will promise me your heart_

_And love…_

Astrid then joined in on the song, much to Zenna and Eret's delight.

**Astrid**

_And love me for eternity…_

_My dearest one, my darling dear_

_Your mighty words astound me_

_But I've no need of mighty deeds_

_When I feel your arms around me_

Zenna instantly squealed with joy as her and Eret's steps began to become lighter and they joyfully danced about as Hiccup and Astrid sang together.

**Hiccup**

_But I would bring you rings of gold_

_I'd even sing you poetry_

_And I will keep you from all harm_

_If you will stay beside me_

**Astrid**

_I have no use for rings of gold_

_I care not for your poetry_

_I only want your hand to hold_

**Hiccup**

_I only want you near me!_

Eret and Zenna laughed as they danced together and, soon, everyone in the Great Hall was singing along with the Chief and his Milady as they both danced.

**Hiccup and Astrid**

_To love, to kiss, to sweetly hold_

_For the Dancing and the Dreaming_

_Through all life's sorrows and delights_

_I'll keep your love inside me_

_I'll swim and sail on savage seas_

_With ne'er a fear of drowning_

_And gladly ride the waves of life_

_If you will marry me_

Zenna squealed with delight as Eret joyfully spun her about before embracing him. Even as Gobber crooned, "Me-eee-e! I'm still goin'…I'm done!" making everyone groan in annoyance. Once the music stopped, Zenna looked at Hiccup and Astrid with a curious look on her face.

"Okay, I have a feeling you two are planning something. Give me the details," She said knowingly. "Actually, Zen, we're not the ones planning something," Astrid informed her. "Let's just say that someone, and I'm not going to say who, wants to ask you something _very important_," Hiccup added, winking at his sister. Zenna glanced at Eret, who smiled widely. "Wait a second…were _you _the one who wanted them to sing that song, Eret?" she asked in surprise. "Perhaps," Eret answered enigmatically. "Why?" Zenna asked again. That's when Eret, taking a deep breath to steel his courage, got down on one knee.

Zenna's heart leaped into her throat as everyone began to murmur excitedly amongst themselves. Was Eret…?

"Zenna…from the day we met, my heart has belonged to you and only you. You are the most beautiful, most caring and most courageous woman I've ever known. Thanks to you, I managed to turn my life around and begin anew. I can never thank you enough for everything you've done for me and I can never fully express how much I love you. I knew from the very moment I laid eyes on you that you're the only person in the whole, wide world I would want to spend the rest of my life with. You are my goddess, my princess and everything so…"

Saying this, Eret took out from his pocket a golden ring that had a beautiful gemstone of beauty unlike any other. The gemstone seemed to have been made from a combination of all beautiful gems in the world that sparkled brilliantly in the candlelight and was in the shape of a heart. A midnight black Night Fury scale and a red-green Rumblehorn scale were set into either side of the heart and intricate runes were engraved on the ring. Truly, the ring was a thing of beauty. But for Eret, its beauty was inferior to the beauty of the one-violet eyed, raven haired girl looking at him with a mixture of surprise and blooming joy.

"Zenna Arrowhead Fiersome…_will you marry me?_" Eret asked softly, his amber brown eyes gazing into Zenna's deep violet one. Instantly Zenna began to cry tears of joy. She had dreamt of this moment many times and wondered if it would ever come true for so long…

And now…it was finally reality.

"Oh my gods…Holy Shields…Eret…" she said, wiping the tears away from her face and smiled the biggest smile she had ever smiled in her entire life.

"_**YES! Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! A million, billion, gazillion, zillion times, YES, Eret! I WILL MARRY YOU!**_" Zenna screamed in sheer happiness. Eret sighed out in happy relief and smiled as he carefully slipped the ring onto Zenna's right hand's fourth finger. No sooner had he done that, Zenna tackled him in a hug that sent them toppling over to the floor! And everyone burst into loud cheers!

Hiccup and Astrid laughed as they held each other close while Fishlegs and Snotlout were close to crying tears of joy and the Twins butted helmets. Gobber and Valka happily applauded while Zenna's parents smiled at how happy their daughter was. Little El shrieked with delight as Stryka, whom he was sitting on, bounced about in excitement along with Toothless and Skullcrusher. All the dragons were roaring and flapping their wings in celebration.

But nobody was happier than Zenna…and her fiancé.

"We are so happy for you two," Henna said lovingly. "I look forward to seeing some grandchildren soon!" Edgar laughed heartily. "Yay! Yipee!" El squealed, clapping his hands. "Let's hope Eret survives. We all know how _fierce_ Zenna can be sometimes," Gobber joked to Valka. "Oh, come on Gob. They'll be just fine," Valka laughed lightly.

Getting up and dusting themselves off, Zenna and Eret couldn't help but laugh. They were just so happy. That's when Hiccup and Astrid came over to them. "Congratulations, you two. Now Eret, you better take good care of Zenna unless you want to get in really big trouble with the Chief here," Astrid smirked, giving Hiccup a playful punch in the arm. "Don't worry, Astrid. Eret already knows about that," Hiccup grinned before smiling at Eret.

"Take care of my sister," The Chief said simply. "I will. I promise," Eret nodded, taking the oath very seriously. Hiccup then smiled and gently gave Zenna a kiss on her forehead. "I'm so happy for you, Zen…" he whispered with tears evident in his emerald green eyes. "Thanks, Hicc…I'm looking forward to the day you and Astrid decide to tie the knot as well. And it better be soon!" Zenna chirped, laughing softly.

"A toast! To Zenna and Eret!" Hiccup and Astrid proclaimed, raising their tankards of mead up. "A toast! A toast!" the people of Berk joyfully shouted, raising their cups as well. "May the gods bless them both for as long as they both shall live!" Henna and Edgar shouted as well.

As everyone cheered, Zenna and Eret only had eyes for each other. Zenna took a moment to glance at the runes engraved on the ring, which read…

'_**My goddess, my princess, and everything…I love you forever…**_'

Eret saw her smile as she read the runes and gently took her hand in his. "Zenna…I may not have everything…but I have my love. And I will gladly give you that for as long as I shall live," He whispered into her ear. "Oh Eret…your love is already everything to me…That's all I'll ever want and need…" Zenna whispered to him lovingly as they gazed into each other's eyes.

"You are my goddess, my princess and everything…and I love you forever…and ever," Eret said softly, cupping Zenna's face in his hand. "And I love you too, Eret…Forever and ever and ever…" Zenna sighed as they shared a tender, passionate kiss. Only this kiss was different from all the other kisses they've shared. This kiss was the start…of something beautiful and new.

And that was the start of a wonderful life together.

'_Best. Birthday. Ever._' Was all Zenna could think as she and Eret savored their first kiss…as an engaged couple.

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**You may now unleash your onslaught of reviews.**

**-GuardianDragon98**


	3. 2: Family Legacy

**Chapter 2 is here! Be prepared, this is going to be an amazing chapter, filled with feel-good family fluff!**

**Note: I DO NOT OWN HTTYD.**

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**Chapter Two: Family Legacy**

After the party was over, Zenna practically skipped all the way home with her family. Little El had already fallen asleep in his Mama's arms and Serpent and Serpentine, Edgar and Henna's Hideous Zippleback, kept a close eye on the little one along with their Riders. Zenna lagged behind along with Eret, their dragons not far behind.

"Exactly how long had you been planning that little big surprise you pulled off earlier?" Zenna asked, smiling at the former dragon trapper. "About half a year, actually. I had to first ask for your parents' permission," Eret said before leaning closer to Zenna. "Your mother was fine with it. Your Dad…let's just say it was a lot more challenging to get his blessing," He whispered, making Zenna giggle.

"I can hear you two," Edgar said loudly, smiling to himself. "Sorry, sir…" Eret mumbled sheepishly. "Dad…" Zenna pretended to whine but still felt so giddy. Plus, she knew that her father had already approved of Eret. After seeing the lad change his ways, Edgar and Henna were more than willing to give Eret a second chance as their daughter had done.

"And then what?" Zenna pressed on, wanting to know everything. "Well asking for Hiccup's blessing was actually a lot easier…provided that Skullcrusher and I had to beat him and Toothless in a race. Good thing Skullcrusher can keep up with any dragon, including a Night Fury!" Eret said, patting Skullcrusher on the head. The Rumblehorn huffed proudly. Stryka rolled her eye and playfully swatted the Rumblehorn with her wing! Zenna and Eret both laughed as their dragons tried to one-up each other in a wing-swatting contest.

When they reached the Fiersome house, Zenna's parents turned to the couple. "You know what? The night is still young. Why don't you two go and have fun?" Henna suggested. "You mean that, Mom?" Zenna asked, surprised. "Of course! You're 22 now, Zen. It's high time your mother and I let you live your life according to what you choose," Edgar nodded before looking at Eret sharply. "But no funny business, alright? Wouldn't want you two becoming parents before the wedding. You got that, lad?" he told Eret sternly. "Yes, sir," Eret gulped, knowing that Zenna's father could easily decapitate him if he ever did something to hurt Zenna.

And gods forbid Eret would rather die than get his fiancée pregnant out of wedlock before the wedding!

"Alright, off you two go!" Edgar waved them off. Getting on their dragons, Zenna and Eret took off into the night. Meanwhile, Henna and Edgar looked at each other with happiness…and worry.

"She was born with the color of royalty in her eyes…And even with one eye left, the color hasn't changed. Now…she's come of age, love. You know what that means?" Henna asked her husband worriedly. Edgar nodded gravely. He knew exactly what his wife was talking about. "I'm sure she'll be fine, dear. We've raised Zenna the best as we could and we've never had too much trouble. We'll just have to trust in our daughter…and the words of the shaman," He reassured her. Sighing, Henna nodded. Her husband was right.

"Mama…? Wer' Zewnwa awnd Uncku Eret…?" El had woken up only to find his big sister and his uncle gone. "They just went off on a little night flight, sweetie. They'll be back. Now, let's get you all tucked in for bed…" Henna said softly, rocking her son in her arms. El yawned and went back to sleep.

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Zenna and Stryka led Eret and Skullcrusher to their second most favorite place in the whole world, the first one being the Cove.

The Isle of Zen.

"Orchids and tulips everywhere…how on earth did _these _get here?" Eret marveled, letting his Rumblehorn and Stryka play in the flowers while he and Zenna sat on a grassy hill and admired the moonlit view. The moonlight seemed to make the tulip fields almost like magical wonderlands and orchid petals fluttered about in the soft night time breeze. Zenna grinned. "Hiccup discovered this island along with Toothless. They planted all of the flowers that grow here and took care of them until they blossomed. And then on my sixteenth birthday…he took me here and named this island after me…" she said softly, smiling at the memory. "I bet you didn't expect all of this back then, did you?" Eret asked, gesturing to the landscape. Instead of feeling envious of Hiccup, who had practically given his beloved an entire _island _for her birthday, he felt nothing but gratitude towards the young Chief.

Hiccup had taken care of Zenna for him…and loved Zenna like she was his sister…

"No, I did not. In fact, he was the _first _person to ever surprise me on my birthday. I mean, a whole island filled with all your favorite flowers _and _named after you? Who _wouldn't _be surprised out of their minds?" Zenna laughed, widely throwing her arms out for emphasis. "Ah, but you said that Hiccup is the _first _person to ever surprise you on your special day, you didn't say that he was the _only _person to do so. Surely, there must be someone else who has been successful in giving you a special surprise," Eret pointed out, slightly smirking. Zenna pretended to look confused before saying, "Well now that you mention it…there _is _this one other person who surprised me on my birthday…and surprisingly, it was this year," She said thoughtfully.

"And who might this clever fellow be?" Eret asked coyly. "You don't need to know," Zenna smiled mischievously. "Oh, but I must," Eret insisted. Zenna just laughed and gave him a mild shove. "You don't need to know because you _already _know!" she laughed. But as she said this, Zenna smiled lovingly at Eret who smiled back and gave her a kiss which she gladly returned.

Cuddling together on the hillside, the couple began to plan for their future.

"Where do you want our house built?" Eret asked. "Anywhere on Berk that has a good view of both the sea and sky, I suppose. What about kids?" Zenna asked him as well.

"That'd be nice. I've always wondered what it'd be like to be a father," Eret mused. "I've always wondered what motherhood will be like. I guess having a baby would be just amazing. But if our firstborn is a boy, there is _no way _we're naming him Eret Son of Eret, Son of Eret!" Zenna reminded him.

"Aw, what's wrong with that name?" the former dragon trapper pretended to complain. "It's practically two sons of Eret too long! And naming our son Eret the Third will be way too confusing, in my opinion," Zenna pointed out.

"Okay, scratching that name off the list. But what would you name our son? And our daughter, if we ever have one?" Eret asked her. "Jason. I'd name our son Jason after the hero of this Greek epic I read during my studies in Kos. As for a daughter…what're your ideas?" Zenna replied. "Gyda. Or maybe Lagertha…Those sound like nice names, right?" Eret suggested.

"Ah, Gyda and Lagertha…the daughter who perished in a plague who was also the daughter of the famous shield maiden wife…of your ancestor. By the way, does that mean I'll have to change my last name once we're married?" Zenna smiled knowingly. "The choice is yours, Zen. If you decide to keep your maiden name, I'm more than okay with that. Besides, imagine how surprised everyone will be once they learn that my last name _isn't_ Eret," Eret replied, chuckling slightly at his last sentence. "Eret _Lothbrok_. I'd bet Hiccup and everyone on Berk will be blown away when they find out that you're one of _Ragnar _Lothbrok's descendants," Zenna smiled.

Suddenly a chilly breeze blew over them, making Zenna shiver. Of all the days she chose to not wear her coat. "Here…" Eret then took off his fur vest and gently placed it around Zenna's shoulders. "What if _you _get cold?" Zenna asked him in concern. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine," Her fiancé said kindly. The one-eyed Fiersome girl smiled softly at him and snuggled closer to Eret, his fur vest nice and warm around her shoulders. Today had just been the most perfect day of her entire life…

"Sleepy…" she yawned, leaning against Eret. "Tired…" Zenna yawned again before drifting off to sleep. Eret couldn't help but smile and lovingly brushed Zenna's bangs away from her face. "Sweet dreams, my love…" he whispered, gently kissing Zenna's forehead as she slept.

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Zenna found herself in a beautiful thicket, where orchids bloomed in the trees and tulips grew wild. Then she spotted a familiar face near a pond, talking to a woman with gray-streaked black hair.

"Eliiiii!" Zenna squealed, rushing over to her brother and embracing him. "Hey, there's my birthday girl! Happy Birthday, Zenna!" Elias Fiersome grinned as he joyfully spun his sister about. "Oh, it's so good to see you again! And the party was just amazing! By the way, did you see it Eli? Did you? Did you? Did you?" Zenna asked him excitedly, talking a mile a minute. "Saw what?" Elias asked her, crinkling his brow in mock confusion. "Come on, bro!" Zenna said, giving him an incredulous look. Then Elias' face broke out into a wide grin.

"I'm kidding, Zen! _Of course _I saw Eret propose to you! And I gotta say one thing: I'd never thought that _you'd _be the one to get married before Hiccup! I swear that one-legged goofball better propose to Astrid before it's too late for them to have kids. Stoick's still hoping for grandbabies…" he chuckled. "I'll make sure to remind him of that," Zenna laughed before noticing the black haired woman looking at her with a curious smile. And to Zenna's fascination, the woman's eyes were the exact same shade of violet she and El shared.

"Who's your friend?" Zenna asked her older brother. Elias turned to the violet-eyed woman and nodded. "Zen, believe it or not, she's our…many times great-grandmother. May I introduce to you, our ancestor, _Eira Fiersome_," He said grandly, bowing courteously to the woman. Zenna looked at the woman in sheer amazement.

Her parents rarely talked about their family's relatives. To be honest, they didn't have many relations. If there were ever any, they were probably dead or living in some far off land they would never be able to go to. That's one of the things that made Zenna stand out along with her family. Their ancestry, bloodline…it was all a big mystery.

But now Zenna was meeting one of her ancestors face-to-face. And she could tell that they were indeed related. Aside from the eyes, Zenna saw the likeness of her mother and father combined. While Eira was visibly a lot older than Zenna, there was a bright spark in her eyes that resembled her own.

"How are you, dear?" Eira asked softly, smiling at Zenna. Zenna suddenly found herself half tongue-tied. "Um, uh, well…I…I'm…good, I guess?" she said, her statement sounding more like a question. Eira laughed softly. "At ease, Zenna. I don't bite," She said helpfully. Zenna nodded and took a deep breath and let it out.

Feeling a bit calmer, Zenna got acquainted with her who-knows-how-many-greats great grandmother.

"So you're really my ancestor?" she asked, eye wide. "Indeed I am," Eira replied. "That…that's incredible! Mom and Dad never really talked about our family tree that much…We don't really have that many relatives around our area. Even in the South, we didn't have any," Zenna remarked in amazement. "Ah, the South. I was from there. It was such a wonderful place…" Eira sighed wistfully. "Wow! You're from the South too! That's amazing!" Zenna said in awe. "But I understand that your family now live on the dragon-filled island of Berk, am I correct?" Eira asked curiously. "We do! And life there is just amazing. Every day is like a whole new adventure with so many things to discover and so many places to explore. And I have this little brother, we call him El, and he's got the same eyes as we do!" Zenna told her. "Now _that_ is something that has never been seen in our family before! Back then, only _daughters _of our family were born with the eyes of royalty," Eira said in amazement.

"Eyes of royalty? You mean the color violet? Why would it be so rare? And what do you mean by _back then _only daughters were born with it?" Zenna asked, curious. Eira gave her a sad smile and motioned with her to come closer to the pond. Elias stood by Zenna, a slightly worried look on his face. Eira then looked down at the pond, Zenna mimicking her. To Zenna's amazement, the water in the pond rippled. Faces of women with violet eyes appeared on the surface. And, strangely, they all resembled Zenna in some way.

"Our family had always been watched over by the gods. One day, they decided to bless us. I was the first one to receive their gift…" Eira began as a scene from a memory suddenly appeared on the pond's surface. It showed a 22-year old Eira guiding a little girl out of the woods, only to be surprised as the little girl suddenly transformed into Freyja!

"Holy Shields…is that _Freyja_?" Zenna asked in amazement. "It is. To see who would be the first in our family to receive the gift, Freyja disguised herself as a lost girl. I found her in the forest, guided her out of there…and then she gave me the gift," Eira smiled fondly at the memory.

"What was the gift?" Zenna asked. "Just take a good look, Zen," Elias smiled, looking at the pond. That's when Zenna saw that Eira's blue eyes suddenly changed into violet. At the same time, fireballs, snowflakes, vines and lightning bolts all shot out of Eira!

"Whoa! What were those?" Zenna asked, eye wide. "The Elementals, Zenna. The gift the gods, goddesses and Valkyries blessed me with were called the Elementals. With them, I could control fire, ice, nature and lighting," Eira explained.

Then, to demonstrate, Eira did a magnificent display of her powers. Zenna gasped in awe as fire burned bright, snowflakes danced around her, flowers bloomed and lighting shocked the sky!

"And when I had a daughter of my own, she earned her powers when she turned 22…Just like you," Eira smiled gently. Zenna was now excited beyond compare. "I'm 22 years old now too! Does that mean…_I'm _gonna get the Elementals?!" she asked excitedly. "Yes," Eira simply replied. "Awesome! I can't wait!" Zenna exclaimed. But then she saw Eira and Elias' expressions turn into worried ones.

"What's wrong?" Zenna asked, confused. "Zen…you're actually going to be the first Elemental in our family…in a really long time…" Elias revealed to her. "What's so troubling about that?" Zenna asked, cocking her head to the side.

"For years, our family has always had Elementals. Any daughter born into our family, if the gods favored them, was immediately born with the violet eyes to show the mark of the gods' favor. It was like that for generations. But then…things changed when some people began to fear us and our powers. We never used our powers to harm anyone, only help them. But as times changed, people became cruel…and they wrongfully persecuted one of us…and put her to death,"

As Eira said this, another scene played out in the pond's surface. This time Zenna saw another Fiersome daughter tied to a burning stake, tears streaming down her pale face and praying to the gods, as people shouted curses at her. What broke Zenna's heart…was that the girl being burnt at the stake looked _exactly _like her…

"That's why you need to be careful, Zenna, my child. Once your powers manifest, it'll be up to you on how to use them. At times like these…where magic can either be good or bad depending on how you use them…_your only real enemy will be fear_," Eira warned her. Elias chose to give his sister some encouragement and ruffled her hair. "You're gonna be the greatest and most powerful Elemental our family has ever known, Zen. I know you'll do great," He said encouragingly.

Zenna then remembered something and looked at Eira. "I just now thought of something. Since you said that the men in our family have never been born with the eyes of royalty before, and El is the first one to have them…is there a possibility that my little brother will become an Elemental, too?" she asked carefully. Eira thoughtfully put a hand to her chin. "Hmmm…it is hard to say. The gods are also fond of surprising us mortals…" she said.

Elias blanched at what she said. "Heh, no kidding…I've had some run-ins with Loki. Six words: _Don't ever take dares from him_," he said, shuddering at the memory of the trickster god daring him to pull a prank on some Frost Giants. It took Freyr at least three hours to thaw him out of the ice block…

Zenna merely raised an eyebrow at her older brother in confusion. "It is possible that El has some magic in him since he was born with the eyes of royalty. But we will have to wait and see when he grows up and starts showing signs of it to know for sure. In the meantime, focus on mastering your new powers. When and if the time comes for your little brother to become an Elemental, he'll have a wonderful teacher to teach and guide him," Eira smiled gently at Zenna.

Zenna smiled and blinked once.

And, just like that, she woke up in her room.

Or, at least, what _sort of _looked like her room.

Vines and flowers covered the walls, the floor was covered in ice and fireballs were floating about along with snowflakes! And, when Zenna felt a tingly sensation in her hands and looked down, violet sparks were fizzing out of her fingers! She got a bit of a shock when she tried to hold her battle sticks. Zenna then remembered her dream and decided to do the most logical thing in a situation such as this.

"Mom! Dad! You two need to see this!" Zenna hollered at the top of her lungs. Henna and Edgar rushed into the room and got the shock of their lives upon seeing their daughter's room. "Good gods…" Edgar muttered. "Oh my…" Henna said in shock. El then toddled into the room, still half-asleep and clutching his stuffed Night Fury. But upon seeing his sister's room, El's violet eyes went wide. "Cooool!" he squealed, slipping and sliding on the icy floor and waving his hands at the floating fire balls and trying to catch snowflakes with his tongue.

Stryka had woken up at the same time with her Rider and could only survey the room in stunned silence, her one green eye wide and toothless mouth hanging open.

"I finally got my Elemental powers! Isn't that great?" Zenna asked her parents, grinning. "It is, I suppose, love…Wait, Zenna, how do you know about the Elementals?" Edgar asked in shock. "Oh, I had a dream where Eli and my ancestor, Eira, told me about our family history," Zenna replied. "Even in Valhalla, our son never fails to learn a secret…" Henna said, shaking her head in amusement.

That's when Zenna realized something.

"Hang on, how'd I get here? I could have sworn I was…" she mumbled, looking around her room in confusion. "Oh, Eret took you home. He said that you were pretty tired after the party and that you fell asleep while the two of you were at your island," Edgar informed her. Zenna smiled at her fiancé's sweet gesture. "Sweet lad, he is. And you were so adorable sleeping in Eret's arms. When we tried to pull you away from him, Zen, you started whimpering like a little child. Oh, you were just so precious!" Henna laughed, remembering last night. "Mom…" Zenna mumbled, embarrassed.

After putting Zenna's room back in order (_at this point, Zenna discovered that she could make the fireballs and snowflakes disappear with just a snap of her fingers_) the whole family sat down to breakfast. Stryka watched Zenna closely along with Serpent and Serpentine, hoping to catch Zenna do some more magic. All the while, Edgar and Henna lectured Zenna of her family history and their legacy.

"Since you had a chat with Eira, your mother and I assume that you also know of our family's last Elemental?" Edgar asked his daughter seriously. "Yeah, I saw a memory where she got persecuted. It's horrible that some people would just kill her because she had such amazing powers…and…she looked just like me…" Zenna replied sadly. "Aye, it was the most tragic thing that had ever happened to our family. And her name, love, was Eira Zennaria Fiersome. By coincidences of all coincidences, your brother named you after her," Henna sighed, remembering her eldest son.

"He got _Zenna _from _Zennaria_…Eli, you never fail to amaze me," Zenna smiled slightly. "Aye, he did. Now you're the first Elemental in the family in a long time, Zenna. You do realize that you need to be careful, right?" Edgar told her. "I promise that I will only use my powers for good _and _only after I've mastered them, Dad," Zenna promised solemnly. "Judging by what you did to your room, I'd say you've progressed in manifesting them quite well, considering that they've just manifested," Henna smiled proudly at her daughter.

"There's something else, too. It's about El," Zenna then told her parents. Henna and Edgar both looked at their baby boy, at each other and, then, at their daughter again in confusion. "Since El was born with the eyes of royalty, Eira told me that it might be possible that he's been blessed with the gift of the Elementals, too, and that he might start showing signs of it when he gets older. If he ever does become an Elemental, I'd love to teach him," Zenna explained and smiled. Seeing that their daughter showed no fear in performing her magic in front of El, Henna and Edgar laughed. "This has never happened in our family before. But if our little El is indeed truly blessed with the gift and does become one, then he'll have the best teacher to teach him," Henna said lovingly. "Two Elementals in one generation, and one of them being the first male Elemental…the gods have decided to bless our family once again," Edgar chuckled.

Finishing breakfast, Zenna stood up. "Well I better start practicing then. The sooner I master them, the sooner I can do good, and the sooner I'll be well-mastered and prepared to teach El when he gets his Elemental powers. Just imagine the looks on everyone's faces when I show them!" She proclaimed, excited to show Eret, Hiccup and her friends what she can now do. "Alright, run along, love. But take El with you. I'm sure he'd love to see more of your magic," Henna suggested. To prove his Mama's point, El excitedly banged his little cup of milk on the table and cheered, "Mwore magic, Zewnwa! Do da magic!" Stryka bouncing excitedly in agreement.

"Okay, let's head out!" Zenna laughed, picking El up from his high chair and leaving the house with Stryka.

Time for her to get some serious magic training done!

* * *

**Feel free to read and review whenever you guys want. And feel free to express your thoughts in the reviews. Sometimes long and detailed reviews really help me in writing better :)**

**-GuardianDragon98**


	4. 3: I Love My Life

**Hi everyone! I'm sorry if this took so long. It takes time to edit and make necessary additions. Plus, I'm also busy with my other stories.**

**PS: Rated T stuff here! Nothing M rated but there's a ton of romance in one part.**

**NOTE: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING.**

* * *

**Chapter 3: I Love My Life**

Zenna and El quickly got on Stryka's back and they flew to the Isle of Zen, where the Dragon Doctor figured would be a good place to train her new Elemental powers. Few dragons flew by here and, aside from the three of them, nobody was around. Setting El down on the grass, where Stryka curled up around him, Zenna smiled.

"You two ready?" she asked her little audience. "Yes!" El said enthusiastically while Stryka bobbed her head up and down.

Concentrating, Zenna held her hands out in front of her with her palms up. A ball of ice materialized in her right hand while a fireball formed in her left. Then she threw both of them up into the air and shot out lightning bolts, which made contact with the fireball and ice ball and made them explode in a dazzling display of red, blue and violet sparkles!

"Oooooohh…" El and Stryka both cooed, amazed. "And now…" Zenna said, waving her hands about in a magician-like fashion, created a beautiful, violet tulip and presented it to El. "What do you think?" she asked her little brother, smiling. "Pwetty!" El giggled and gave it to Stryka and cooed, "Fow you," which made Stryka warble happily as she accepted the gift.

Zenna grinned and continued practicing. In just seconds, she was able to create four little Night Fury/Terrible Terror hybrid dragon figures made from fire, ice, plants and lightning! "Look, we've got some new friends!" she laughed as she controlled the figures to fly around. El giggled and waved his chubby hands up at the lifelike elemental dragon figures while Stryka cooed and warbled in curiosity. Lining up the four figures single file, Zenna named them. "These two are the sisters,_ Cinder_ and_ Bloom_," she said, the dragon figures of fire and plants gracefully twirled in the air. "And these two brothers are _Frost _and _Zap_," Zenna concluded, the ice and lightning dragons somersaulting in the air. Stryka crooned, greeting the dragons her Rider had created as if they were real. "Hi Cinder! Hi Bloom! Hi Frost! Hi Zap! It's nice to meet you!" El piped up, waving hi to the dragon figures. Zenna giggled and got her dragon figures to flap their wings in a waving fashion.

An hour later, Zenna had managed to wield her magic exceptionally well. With her Fire, she made gentle lava spurts erupt from the ground which she then neutralized with her Ice. Her Lightning shocked the sky in bold streaks but never harmed a thing. And her Nature made the flowers grow even more beautiful and the trees stretched their limbs up high, strong and healthy. El and Stryka were both awestruck at Zenna's progress and squealed with delight as the Dragon Doctor created a wonderland of sorts with her Elementals. Fireballs floated around them, snow gently fell to the ground from the skies that were streaked with lightning and, even though there was snow everywhere, all the flowers were still in bloom and full of life, and looked even more beautiful growing in the snow. "This is amwazwing!" El shrieked with happiness as he and Stryka jumped into a snowdrift and made snow angels. "_Zenwa, ywou awre aweswome!_" Stryka warbled to her Rider. "Well, I think that's enough training for today. We should get back to Berk," Zenna said. "Awwww…" El pouted, not wanting to go. "I'll practice again in the afternoon at our house, El. You and Stryka can watch me again later," his big sister promised him. "Yay!" El giggled and got on Stryka along with Zenna, the three of them leaving the Isle of Zen.

* * *

Upon arriving at home, Zenna was greeted by Hiccup. The 21-year old Chief grinned and led his surrogate sister to the Cove, Toothless and Stryka following them. "I have this meeting to attend later with Alvin, but I kind of want to, well…give you my own little gift," Hiccup said as they reached the Cove. To Zenna's delight, a picnic for two had been set up with all of her favorite food daintily arranged on the picnic cloth with cut tulips and orchids.

Settling down on the grass, the two bonded siblings feasted. Toothless and Stryka also had their own picnic of salmon and cod. "I asked Eret's permission this morning. He was okay with it," Hiccup said casually as he took a bite from a butter biscuit. "What about Astrid?" Zenna asked coyly as she popped two chocolate-dipped strawberries into her mouth. "After I promised her a romantic dinner later this evening, she agreed not to kill me," Hiccup joked, making Zenna giggle. Then their conversation steered onto a different topic. "So, you're going to Outcast Island later?" Zenna asked, a bit concerned. Sure, she and Alvin were now on good terms but it still didn't make Zenna any less wary of the Outcasts. Hiccup nodded. "We're renewing the five year peace treaty and Alvin's also been asking me for suggestions on a new tribe name. I guess he doesn't like us calling him and his people Outcasts anymore," he chuckled. "A new name, huh? What are your ideas?" Zenna asked curiously. "Well, they're strong people and they never give up in a fight…I've been thinking of calling them _Meatheads_," Hiccup said thoughtfully. Zenna raised an eyebrow at him. "Should I even ask if Alvin's going to be offended?" she asked. Hiccup laughed. "It was actually Savage's idea. He suggested it during the last meeting and Alvin loved it! We're just probably going to take a vote on the name later," he said before he and Zenna finished their picnic.

"Mmmm…that was good. We should do this more often. Maybe we can even have a cookout in the Academy with everybody," Zenna smacked her lips in satisfaction. "Agreed," Hiccup said before, _burp!_

Toothless and Stryka, having just finished their own picnic, both jerked their heads up and looked at Hiccup. The one-legged young man merely covered his mouth and blushed as Zenna burst out laughing. "Holy Shields…! I…Hahahaha! Sorry, Hicc, but that was just…uncalled for…! I guess you really enjoyed our picnic!" Zenna said in between laughs. Hiccup huffed as his surrogate sister, her dragoness and his own dragon laughed. "Oh, you think that's funny, huh?" Hiccup said with a mischievous smirk. "Yes! It was pretty hilarious!" Zenna giggled before Hiccup suddenly leaped at her, yelling, "Well how about this then?!" and began tickling her!

The two best human friends laughed as they rolled around in the grass until they were out of breath. Breathing heavily, Hiccup and Zenna looked at each other and giggled like little kids. "You might want to be prepared, Zen. It won't be long before your Mom, my Mom and all the women in the village will be dragging you to their houses to start planning your wedding," Hiccup reminded the one-eyed bride-to-be. "Yeah, I know. Then Astrid and Ruffnut are gonna be forcing me to try out dresses…" Zenna slightly laughed before noticing that Hiccup was smiling gently at her. "What is it?" she asked softly before Hiccup snuggled next to her. "I'm just really happy for you, Zen…True, I may not know Eret as well as you do…But I know him well enough to know that he really loves you and is someone loyal and true…You two will always have my blessing, remember that," he said gently as he kissed Zenna's forehead. Zenna smiled and pressed her ear to Hiccup's chest, listening to his strong and steady heartbeat. Apart from Eret's, Hiccup's heartbeat was also one of her favorite sounds in the world.

"Thanks, Hiccup…This means so much to me…And I'm so happy that I'll be able to share the joy of my wedding with you and everyone else… But, seriously, promise me that you and Astrid will marry soon?" she said softly. Hiccup chuckled and gently brushed her long black hair back. "I promise," he nodded.

After their picnic, Hiccup, Toothless, Zenna and Stryka left the Cove and went to the docks. It was time for Hiccup and Toothless to head to Outcast Island. "You two take care," Zenna told Hiccup while Stryka warbled lovingly to her mate. "We will," Hiccup smiled before gently kissing Zenna's forehead. "Okay?" he held out his hand. "Okay," Zenna smiled as they slammed hands. Mounting Toothless, Hiccup took to the skies. "See 'ya, Hicc!" Zenna shouted, waving to her one-legged best human friend until he was out of sight.

* * *

After that, Zenna did her work at the Dragon Clinic. She didn't have too many patients so she still had a lot of free time. And all of her patients congratulated her on her engagement. Gustav, who was now an official member of the Berk Dragon Training Academy, visited her and he had a surprise for her. "It's from your future husband," he said with a cheeky grin as he handed Zenna a map rolled around a bunch of violet tulips. "Thank you, Gustav," Zenna giggled and checked out the map. The map had a sketch of the island with directions leading to an unmarked location somewhere near the mountains. Her curiosity piqued, Zenna closed up the Clinic and got on Stryka's back. But then Gustav stopped her. "Wait! Zen, it'll be a lot easier for you to get to this place on foot," the young boy said quickly. Zenna raised an eyebrow at him. "Sorry, Zenna, I'm sworn to secrecy on this," Gustav shook his head, knowing that the Dragon Doctor wanted him to spill the beans.

Sighing in amusement, Zenna got off of Stryka and thanked Gustav before going on her little adventure, Stryka right behind here. '_What could Eret's surprise be…? Guess I'll find out soon enough!_' Zenna thought as she and her loyal dragoness followed the map. It led her and Stryka through the woods until they reached a field of Dragon Nip. To Zenna's surprise, Skullcrusher was there. The Rumblehorn had his tongue lolling out as he rolled around in the garlicky-scented sprigs, blissfully content. Stryka looked at Zenna pleadingly. "Go ahead, girl," Zenna nodded and the one-eyed Night Fury joyfully ran to the field to join Skullcrusher.

That's when Eret showed up. "Okay, a field of Dragon Nip…I don't quite see the surprise in this," Zenna remarked, confused. "The surprise you're looking for is actually over here, Zenna," Eret told her, taking her hand and leading her away from the Dragon Nip field where their two dragons were currently having fun in. "What about them?" Zenna asked, referring to Skullcrusher and Stryka. "My surprise also has the bonus of having a Dragon Nip field nearby for them to play in while _we_…have some alone time," Eret winked as they arrived at a secret hot spring. "Whoa…" Zenna breathed out, wondering if anyone knew about this hidden oasis of warmth aside from her and Eret.

"I found this place a few days ago. I've been wanting to show this to you for a while now," Eret smiled. Zenna took one look at the hot spring and smiled at her fiancé. "We are _so _not telling anyone about this," she said, grinning from ear to ear. "It's our little secret," Eret whispered, kissing Zenna's cheek. The two of them went over to the hot spring and took off their boots so they could soak their feet in the water. Zenna sighed contentedly as the water's warmth soothed her aching feet. The water wasn't too hot but it had enough heat to make steam come up.

"Hmmm…okay, a foot soak is not enough," Zenna then declared. Before Eret could even ask what she was talking about, his fiancée took off her white coat and neatly folded it_...then took off her shirt_.

Eret felt his whole face heat up and quickly looked away, covering his eyes with both hands for good measure, while Zenna took off her leggings. Folding her leggings and taking off her eye patch last, Zenna glanced at Eret and nearly laughed. Wearing nothing but her breast bindings, underwear and pendant, Zenna smoothly slid her body into the welcoming hot water. Hearing the small splash, Eret dared to uncover his eyes only to shut them tight and cover them again as his face pretty much turned as red as Skullcrusher's red scales.

Zenna felt a rush of love and admiration for her future husband. She remembered that even when they were kids, Eret was always the chivalrous type of person. Whenever she and Eret got dirty playing, he always turned around (_or hid behind any available tree or boulder_) and let her change in peace. And, for some odd reason, they had both developed a habit of always having a spare set of clothes on hand whenever they left their houses since childhood. And on one of their dates, where they did some catching up, both of them realized that they still retained that habit. Their childhood habit had also proven to be very handy as of late, what with all the insane situations the two of them ended up in with Hiccup and the gang.

Zenna snapped out of her reminiscing and looked at Eret, who still had his eyes covered. "Care to join me?" she called out playfully. "I'm good…" the former dragon trapper mumbled, his cheeks completely scarlet. Gods above, he had not been expecting this kind of insinuative behavior from Zenna and he was caught unawares. Zenna giggled and waded (_the hot water only came up to her collarbone_) to the very middle of the spring and hummed happily. "Oh, Eret…" she called out in a singsong voice. "Zen, if you're trying to seduce me, I am not falling for it," Eret muttered, a little annoyed, and kept his hands over his eyes. But part of him was begging to join his beloved in the hot spring…feel her dewy wet skin against his…

'_Gah! Don't even think about it, Eret, Son of Eret! Do not even think about it!_' Eret thought, frantically trying to keep his mind from conjuring up lascivious images of the one-eyed Fiersome lady. Zenna pouted and crossed her arms across her chest. Honestly, Eret was sometimes a little _too _chivalrous for her liking. Wading back to the edge of the spring, Zenna clambered back onto the shore. "Why are you being so hesitant?" she asked softly, laying a wet hand on Eret's shoulder. Finally Eret uncovered his eyes and opened them. Almost instantly, the rest of the world blanked out around him as he gazed at what looked like a goddess. A goddess who had just gone swimming in a fountain of youth, to be exact.

Zenna's fair skin glistened with water droplets, her breast bindings clinging tightly to her skin but still slightly loose so Eret could see just the tiniest hint of her cleavage. Her long black hair was only wet at the ends and the sopping tendrils clung to her neck in a way that was just so damn beautiful it made Eret all the more enthralled by her. Her curves were all in the right places and her whole body had a faint reddish tint due to the hot water.

Simply put…she was utterly _gorgeous_.

Suddenly feeling ashamed with himself, Eret quickly averted his eyes. Zenna could see the slight fear of her getting angry at him for shamelessly ogling her wet, mostly naked body and smiled gently. "Just so you know…you're going to be seeing a _lot more _of this when we're married," she reminded him, gently touching his shoulder. Eret looked at her again and, then, finally gave in.

"Fine, I concede…" the former dragon trapper sighed and carefully took off his fur vest. Then, hesitating slightly, Eret took off his wool shirt. Zenna's lips turned up in a smile as it was her turn to shamelessly ogle at Eret's ripped torso. His shoulders were broad, strong and she had honestly lost count on how many times she had rested her head against them and instantly felt safe and protected. His bulging biceps were just so good to look at and she had the privilege of being able to feel the sinuous muscle every day, much to the jealousy of some older girls in the village. And his six-pack? Holy Shields, a glory to behold.

Then she saw the branding iron scar on Eret's chest and stopped staring as her fiancé tried to cover it by folding his arms across his chest. Eret silently berated himself for his past mistake of failing to avoid getting punished by Drago. If he had just done his job right back then and hadn't screwed up then he wouldn't have to sport this shameful mark of slavery on his chest for the rest of his life. It was the only imperfection on his rather rugged appearance, in his opinion.

"Can I at least keep my pants on? I'm…not really used to…" Eret managed to say before trailing off, his cheeks reddening again. "It's okay…" Zenna whispered. The two of them then silently slipped into the hot spring, Eret letting out an exhale as he immersed himself in the hot water.

"Feels good, huh?" Zenna murmured as she tilted her head back, letting the water soak her hair. Eret nodded slightly, still a bit sheepish and hoping that it was just the heat of the water that was making him turn red. Zenna laughed and, in the spirit of childhood playfulness, splashed Eret in the face! "Hey!" the former dragon trapper protested and retaliated with an even bigger splash. Zenna giggled and then quickly ducked underwater to escape the spray before popping back up again, now completely soaked to the skin. Eret rolled his eyes at her before holding his breath and diving down. Zenna immediately became silent, looking around in case Eret would pop out of the water any second. Then she shrieked in surprise as Eret suddenly resurfaced from behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist!

"Gotcha!" Eret laughed triumphantly. Zenna giggled as she faced him. Eret's signature ponytail had come undone and his hair was plastered to his forehead in a slightly messy, yet, rather attractive fashion. His thick black hair reached up to his collarbone and clung to the sides of his neck in strands. "I call foul play, you cheat," Zenna pouted, making Eret chuckle. "I'll show you foul play," Eret smirked before pressing his lips to hers. Zenna felt her already warm body warm up even more as she closed her eye, savoring the kiss. Lips meshed together in perfect sync as the engaged couple leaned against the rocks encircling the hot spring and made out. Eret gently ran his hands up and down Zenna's exposed skin, relishing in the soft moans of his lover.

"You know you're not supposed to take them off yet…" Zenna whispered as she felt one of Eret's hands near the knot of her breast bindings. "I know…I was just making sure you weren't trying to seduce me," Eret chuckled softly as he placed his naughty hand back on Zenna's waist. "Actually I was…Pity it didn't work…" the one-eyed Fiersome lady sighed as Eret pressed his head under her chin. "When we're married, I'll let you do whatever you want with me…" her fiancé whispered into her skin. "All I want is for you to just keep loving me…" Zenna murmured, gently combing a hand into Eret's hair.

In response, Eret gave Zenna a chaste kiss. "I will never stop loving you, Zenna…Never…" he said softly. Zenna then came up with an idea. Making sure that it wasn't too strong, Zenna let her Lightning magic work into her fingertips. Then she gently ran her hands up and down Eret's torso, her Lightning sending shivers down his spine. Eret softly moaned as he buried his face in Zenna's shoulder. "Gods, Zen, whatever you're doing, don't stop…" he muttered, shuddering with pleasure at Zenna's touch.

'_He likes it? I wonder what he'll think if he sees what else I can do…_' Zenna thought as she and Eret relaxed in the hot spring before looking at his branding iron scar again. Twelve years' worth of guilt instantly pummeled her as she gently touched the sword split dragon mark. Eret unwittingly flinched, the phantom pain coming back.

When Drago had given him the brand on his chest, nobody helped him treat it so it got infected. Eret grimaced as he remembered the intense pain he had experienced for a whole week. He was out of commission for almost four days and his men had had to work overtime to cover for him while he stayed in their ship's cabin, suffering from a high fever. They had managed to treat the infection later on but sometimes, especially when Eret was stressed or sick, the pain in his scar would suddenly flare up. It only lasted for a few minutes but it always served as a painful reminder to Eret of the horrors he had gone through for 11 years.

Zenna saw the flash of pain in Eret's eyes and asked worriedly, "Does it still hurt?" even though she already knew the answer. Eret avoided her gaze. "Yeah, sometimes…" he mumbled, really wishing that he hadn't screwed up in the past. But when he glanced at Zenna's worried face, he gave her a reassuring smile. "B-but it's okay…The pain's only temporary and it doesn't always flare up. It's…it's something that I can live with," he said quickly. Zenna still didn't look convinced.

The first two months of Eret living on Berk had been an emotional rollercoaster for him, her and all of their friends. They sometimes still couldn't believe that, for someone so confident with himself, Eret had gone through a living Hel during the 11 years he had worked for Drago as a dragon trapper. Valka had been able to see what kind of torture the young man had gone through and she sometimes wish she hadn't. When she had told Zenna, Hiccup and everyone else, the group was both horrified and sickened at the mere thought of all the pain and suffering Eret had endured before they met him. He had been abused, beaten and broken so many times and, although faint to the untrained eye, his back and arms still had the scars and whip marks to prove it. It was incredible how he had still managed to brag about his achievements and keep standing. It was only when he got severely depressed shortly after he moved in to Berk did Zenna and everybody see what was really underneath that cocky and rugged façade: a broken man who had lost his family, his home, his pride, his dignity…and had been starved of love for eleven lonely years.

And Zenna felt that _she _was mostly responsible for all the damage done to Eret. Sure, Drago was the one who mainly tortured the man but she felt that…if she had just found a way for Eret and his father to leave the South with her and her family back then…maybe things could have been different.

Looking at Eret and his scar again, Zenna knew that, now that she and Eret were getting married, she could finally have a chance to make it up to him for all those years they had been apart. Smiling lovingly at him, Zenna nuzzled her head against Eret's chest and gently pressed her lips to his scar, kissing it. Eret blinked at her, stunned, before suddenly noticing that the pain in his chest scar was fading away. An overwhelming soothing feeling replaced the pain and Eret felt like, slowly and surely, all of his physical and emotional wounds were healing. That's when he knew that Zenna was the only one who could take away all of his pain with her love.

When she was done kissing the scar, Zenna wrapped her arms around Eret, tears welling up in her eye. "Eret, I'm so sorry…Everything you've gone through alone those past 11 years…I wish I could get rid of all the pain…But I-I know I can't erase the past so…I promise that I will spend the rest of my life doing everything I can to make sure you'll never experience the pain Drago gave you ever again…I want to make you happy, Eret…And I promise that I will. I love you so much, Eret…I love you forever…Nothing will ever change that…" the one-eyed Dragon Doctor whispered, the tears slipping out of her eye as she embraced her fiancé. Eret felt tears prick at his eyes and gently hugged Zenna back. He knew Zenna would make good on her promise and he already felt happy - because he was with her.

That's when Zenna decided to take a chance. "Hey, Eret…can I ask you something?" she asked quietly. Eret looked at Zenna curiously, indicating that he was listening. Choosing her words carefully, Zenna slowly asked, "If one day…I was suddenly able to do things that…normal people couldn't do and…the things I would be able to do scared them, would _you_…be scared of me, too?"

Eret mulled it over for a few minutes, making Zenna's face crease in worry. She knew that she was taking a huge risk of partially imparting to Eret her magic secret but, well, he was going to be her husband soon enough and he had the right to know…or at least know that something was going on with her.

Finally Eret shook his head. "Zen, I've always told you that I love you forever. And I mean it. Whatever you can do, I won't be afraid of you," he said softly, gently cupping her face in his hands. Zenna felt her heart melt and rested her head against Eret's chest, smiling as she heard the strong, rhythmic thumps of her lover's heartbeat. A bit curious, Eret gently combed his fingers through Zenna's hair and asked, "Are you trying to tell me something, Zen?" gently placing soft, little kisses on Zenna's head. Zenna smiled and fondly stroked the skin on Eret's chest scar. "Maybe…" she whispered mysteriously.

When she finally mastered her powers…that's when she was going to tell him…

* * *

Shortly after she and Eret had had their fun in the hot spring and went home, Zenna was immediately thrust into the mad world of wedding preparations. For days, she was awoken early in the morning by her mother and, after a quick breakfast and little secret Elemental practice with El and Stryka as her audience, quickly brought to Valka and the other women of Berk to plan her wedding. The details were all slightly lost to her because there was just so many of them, but she knew the gist of the flow of the ceremony. What she was mostly lectured on was how the wedding night would go for her and Eret. Needless to say, Zenna was slightly horrified when the topic of witnesses during the consummation was brought up.

Luckily, one day, Hiccup came to her and told her that there would be no public consummation. She and Eret were in the clear for a private consummation.

"Holy Shields, Hicc, Eret and I owe you big time," Zenna said in relief as she gratefully hugged her bonded brother. Hiccup chuckled and gently kissed her forehead. "Hey, we've never really been that faithful to tradition so we might as well let you and Eret have privacy during your wedding night," he told her.

Eret was also busy. Edgar, Gobber and most of the men were also grilling him on what was going to happen on the wedding. Same details were also told to him and he, like Zenna, was incredibly relieved when Hiccup told him that he and Zenna would have complete privacy on their wedding night.

"Thank gods for you, Chief. I don't think Zenna and I can handle consummating our marriage with a bunch of people staring at us…The mere thought of that…" the former dragon trapper shuddered, unable to continue. On that particular day, which was just a week before the wedding, he and Hiccup had blindfolded Zenna and were leading her to an unknown destination.

Zenna was getting impatient. "Where are we going? What's this all about? Can I take this off now? You two do know that you guys could have just placed my eye patch over my left eye, right?" she asked in rapid succession. "Patience, Zen. We're almost there," Hiccup laughed just as the three of them arrived at their destination.

"And we're here! Okay, Zenna, you can take the blindfold off now," Eret told his fiancé. Excited, Zenna ripped off her blindfold. A delighted gasp escaped from her mouth as she saw a beautiful two-storey house in front of her, which was situated on a high plateau that offered a picturesque view of the sky and the sea. The house wasn't too detached from the village but still had the air of a private sanctuary.

"_Holy…Shields_…" Zenna breathed out in awe, her mouth agape. "Yeah…It's not furnished yet, though…" Eret said, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "Eret and I started building the house the day after he proposed to you. It's a good thing a lot of the people helped out. We honestly thought we wouldn't be able to finish it before the wedding," Hiccup laughed.

Suddenly both men were tightly hugged by an overjoyed Zenna! "You two are the best! I love you guys so much!" Zenna shrieked with joy. It took all her willpower to not suddenly create a grand Elemental magic display, lest her secret be revealed too early.

Hiccup and Eret laughed, happy to see Zenna happy. That day the three of them spent the whole afternoon exploring the house that was soon to be Eret and Zenna's, deciding which furniture to place in which room and what not. As the sun set on that perfectly perfect day, Zenna, Eret and Hiccup both lounged on the roof while their dragons roosted in the shade of the trees.

"You two wanna know something?" Zenna asked her two favorite men in the whole, wide world. "What?" Hiccup and Eret both asked curiously. With a big smile on her face, Zenna contentedly sighed, "_I love my life_."

* * *

**This is probably one of the longest chapters WolfWitchHuntress1318 and I have worked on. By the way, I saw the teaser for Dragons: Race to the Edge today.**

**HOLY SHIELDS, AMAZING! I love Hiccup's experimental armor and that he's wearing a red shirt and Astrid looked really pretty in the teaser. And the island the Riders were at…it definitely looked like some sort of new settlement or maybe a hideout of sorts for them. As for the mysterious Dragon's Eye…whoa!**

**Like Hiccup said in the teaser: "This changes everything!" Whatever it does, the Dragon's Eye in the teaser was so cool, especially how Toothless used the glow from his plasma to project a beam of light into the lens.**

**This series premieres on Netflix on June 26. Unfortunately…I cannot have a Netflix :( I can only hope that somebody will be kind enough to find a way to make the series accessible to other Dragons fans who can't afford to have a Netflix account…**

**And I've started rambling. Sorry. GD98, signing off!**


	5. 4: The Accident

**Okay, major editing to be done now that I know what's happened in Race to the Edge! I'll be editing the past chapters soon, till then…enjoy!**

**NOTE: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING**

* * *

**Chapter 4: The Accident**

A day after she had been shown the house, Zenna left for the woods with El and Stryka gamely following her. It was another day of magic practice for her and, already, Zenna was now adept in using her magic in both combative and entertainment purposes. She could easily wield all four of her Elementals all at once and knew how to fully use each element to their full potential.

Today she was planning on just playing with her magic so she, Stryka and El could have fun before the wedding.

'_Just six more days and I'm going to be married to the man of my dreams!_' Zenna thought giddily as she faced her little brother and draconian sister. "Ladies and gentlemen! Children and dragons of all ages! Are you all ready to experience the greatest magic show in all of Midgard?" she announced with a flourish. "Yes! Yes! _Yes!_" El and Stryka both squealed, quivering with excitement. Smiling widely, Zenna waved her hands in a fancy motion, making a shimmering ball of red, blue, violet and green and threw it up into the air. Fire, Ice, Lightning and Nature mingled with one another in a magnificent fireworks display!

"This is amwazing!" El shrieked with delight, running around in circles and reaching up at the pretty sparkles with his little hands. Stryka was also looking up in awe at the beautiful magic in the air, warbling and cooing in delight.

"Watch this," Zenna grinned. Stomping on the ground with her foot, ice spread across the forest floor and plants grew around the icy edges to form a makeshift ice rink. El and Stryka both had great fun sliding around the ice, with Zenna using her Ice magic to zoom them around the rink while she created floating fireballs to add to the ambience of their little playground.

"Look! Cinder, Bloom, Frost and Zap have come to play!" The four little Night Fury/Terrible Terror hybrid Elemental dragon figures reappeared and flew around the three, doing fancy midair tricks. El laughed, happy to see the little dragons again, and engaged in a game of chase with the four quadruplet dragons and Stryka.

Zenna couldn't believe that she was already so good in using her magic. Sure, there were a few little mishaps but the damages only extended up to accidentally setting small objects on fire, freezing water canteens, her parents getting static shocks when they sometimes startled her and her Mom's plants growing a little too well in the garden. But, so far, nobody suspected a thing because, aside from Zenna being very good in hiding evidence of her powers, everybody was busy with the final preparations for Zenna and Eret's wedding. In fact, the only concerns they had to worry about now were what the bride and groom were going to wear. And Zenna laughed and shook her head in amusement as she recalled the long hours she had had to endure modeling all kinds of dresses for Astrid and Ruffnut, the two young women both disagreeing on which dress looked better on her…or on them.

'_I bet Eret's having it easier than me when it comes to the fashion department…Men sometimes have it easier than women…_' Zenna thought as she used her Lightning to amuse Stryka. The one-eyed Night Fury batted at the sparks like a playful kitten. "Hmmm…this place could use some flowers," Zenna mused and then used her Nature magic to make orchids grow on the trees. El giggled as he and Stryka frolicked about with Zenna in their magical wonderland.

"Catch me!" El laughed as Zenna made a little snow hill for him to jump onto. "Gotcha!" Zenna grinned as she made another hill for El to jump onto. El shrieked with delight as he happily jumped from snow hill to snow hill. "Again!" he giggled as he jumped onto an even higher one. Zenna laughed before noticing that her other Elements were beginning to mingle with her Ice magic. And she began to notice that El was starting to go too fast, and she was starting to struggle with keeping up with him! "Wait! El, slow down!" Zenna said worriedly, frantically forming more snow hills as El continued to play. Stryka, seeing her Rider's fear, warbled worriedly and stationed herself below in case El fell.

"Wheee!" El laughed as he made another jump…only there wasn't a snow hill for him to land on. "_El!_" Zenna screamed, making a move to form another snow hill but then accidentally slipped. Unintentionally, a blast of her Elemental magic burst forth from her hand and began to rocket towards her falling baby brother! "Look out, El!" Zenna screamed in horror. Oh gods, her baby brother was going to get hit with all her Elements combined and who knew what that would do to him?!

That's when Stryka decided to do something heroic and, at the same time, dangerous.

Roaring in a panic, the one-eyed female Night Fury launched herself up into the air and safely wrapped little Elias II Stoick Fiersome in her wings. But the blast of Zenna's Elemental magic continued on its path…and struck Stryka's head.

Zenna felt her heart skip a beat as she watched her best dragon friend fall to the ground, unconscious. "Stryka!" she screamed, running over to her loyal dragoness. El was, thankfully, unharmed and crawled out of the safety of the Night Fury's wings. The instant he saw Stryka out cold, however, made him start bawling. "No…No…" Zenna whispered fearfully and watched, transfixed in horror, as the black scales on Stryka's head, where her magic had struck, changed color. '_Dear Thor…what have I done…?_' Zenna thought, panicking, as she gingerly touched the red, white, green and violet bunch of scales on Stryka's head.

"Mom! Dad! Please, somebody, help!" the young Fiersome lady cried out while El continued to cry. Her powers began to respond to her emotions and, in mere minutes, every tree in the vicinity had burst into flames only to be choked by massive thorny vines while the forest floor was coated in ice and thunder clouds began striking down lightning! Cinder, Bloom, Frost and Zap vanished the instant Zenna's magic began to go out of control.

Zenna cradled Stryka's head in her lap. "You're okay, Stryka…We got you…" she whispered, hoping that the one-eyed dragoness could hear her. Then Edgar and Henna arrived on Serpent and Serpentine. "Mama! Papa! Stwykwa's hurt!" El bawled. Both Henna and Edgar gasped and rushed over to their children. "Zenna love, what happened?" Henna asked worriedly. Zenna had tears in her eye as she explained. "I-It was an accident…Stryka s-saved El from falling and th-then…I…I just lost control and I struck her…! But I didn't mean to do it! I swear!" the one-eyed Fiersome lady stammered, her voice thick with tears.

Henna hugged her daughter and gently kissed her forehead. "Hush, dear…It's alright…It's okay…" she whispered. Edgar's face was grim as he examined Stryka. "She's all hot and cold. I know someone who can help, but we need to find a way to transport Stryka," he said grimly. "We can go get Gobber and the other Riders…" Henna managed to say before Zenna's head snapped up in alarm. "No! Mom, Dad, we can't let anyone know! Please don't tell the others!" she suddenly begged, startling her mother and father.

Henna and Edgar were stunned. But, once they saw the fear on their daughter's face, they agreed to keep the whole incident a secret. With a little help from Zenna's Nature magic to create vines, the Fiersomes managed to fashion a sling for Stryka to be put on and Serpent and Serpentine carried her off the ground. Quickly Edgar got the Zippleback to fly in the direction where he wanted to go.

* * *

A short while later they arrived on a lone island in the middle of the sea. There was a single house there and Serpent and Serpentine landed in front of it. A young woman with long black hair and green eyes emerged from the hut. Zenna locked eyes with the girl and immediately recognized her.

"_Heather_?" she asked, stunned. "Zenna?" Heather asked, stunned as well, as an old man smoking a pipe came out of the house. "Old Wrinkly, we need your help," Edgar said gravely. The old man, Old Wrinkly, regarded the dragon and then looked at Zenna curiously, who looked down at her boots in shame.

"Ah, so the line of Fiersome Elementals has started once again. When did she receive the gifts?" he asked, holding Zenna's hand. "A day after her 22nd birthday. They're getting stronger the more time passes," Henna said softly. Old Wrinkly examined Stryka's head, noting the distinct change of color in some of her head scales. Stryka's wound didn't look like a wound at all, actually, and looked like a lightning bolt mark formed from red, white, green and violet scales.

"You were lucky it wasn't her heart. The heart is not so easily changed but the head can be persuaded," Old Wrinkly said. "Whatever you have to do, sir, please do it. Just make my dragon better…" Zenna said worriedly. Old Wrinkly stroked his beard thoughtfully and blew out a smoke ring from his pipe. "Bring the dragon inside," he ordered Zenna's parents.

The two adults did so without question. El whimpered, worried about Stryka, but calmed down a bit when Heather held him. "It's okay, little guy. My grandpa, Old Wrinkly, is going to help Stryka…It'll be okay…" the young lady comforted him. Zenna, worried and stressed as she was, couldn't help but wonder why her old friend was on this island living with an old man.

"Heather, what are you doing here? I thought you went back to the South," she asked. "Yeah…but…not long after we came back…Berserkers attacked," Heather began. Zenna's one violet eye widened in horror and her hands flew to her mouth. "I lost my parents in the attack…" Heather said sadly. "Oh, Heather…I'm so sorry…" Zenna whispered. Heather smiled sadly at her. "But it's okay…I gained a friend," she said before a Razorwhip suddenly landed. Zenna watched, amazed, as Heather gently petted the Razorwhip. "This is Windshear. After I managed to escape, I found her injured and treated her wounds. We've been together ever since," Heather told her. Zenna nodded but felt anger well up inside of her. "That Dagur…I will kill him for this…" she muttered darkly. Heather looked concerned. "As much as I hate my brother, Zen…Can you, maybe, _not_ kill him?" she asked carefully. Zenna then stared at Heather, mouth agape, as her friend's words sunk in.

"_What_…did you just…say?" the Dragon Doctor asked, eye wide. "My biological father was Oswald the Agreeable. Apparently I was separated from him and my older brother, Dagur, when I was young and ended up in the South, where I was adopted. I met up again with your friends two years ago and…that's when I discovered that Dagur and I were siblings," Heather explained. Shocked, Zenna put a hand to her head. "Holy Shields…I think my brain just exploded…" she murmured. "Believe me, Zenna, I was also shocked out of my mind. Anyway, I originally wanted to kill Dagur because he destroyed the village and killed my family. But, after finding out the truth, I decided to spare him. He may be my brother, Zenna, but I don't really consider him family and never made any attempts to have contact with him. Windshear and I left so I could do some soul searching. Along the way, I came across Old Wrinkly, my adoptive father's father and I decided to stay here to become an alchemist," Heather finished telling her story and waited patiently for Zenna to react.

Zenna stayed silent for a minute before looking at Heather. "You're still my friend, Heather. Your big brother may be a complete psycho…but I'm really glad that you're nothing like him," she said at last. Heather smiled and gave Zenna a hug. Then Zenna remembered about what Heather said about the Berserkers. "I just can't believe that the South's been destroyed…Everyone gone…My old home…destroyed and I never knew…" Zenna whispered, tears streaming down her face. Heather soothingly rubbed Zenna's back. "Don't lose faith in the South, Zen. When I escaped, I saw the whole army holding their own in the fight. I'm sure everyone back in the South is already rebuilding their lives. We just have to be optimistic and pray that they're alright…" she reassured her friend. Zenna managed to nod and sniffled, stifling her tears. Then she remembered another thing Heather had told her. "Wait…if you met up with my friends again two years ago…does that mean…you _told _them about the South being under attack by the Berserker Tribe?" she asked slowly. When Heather nodded, Zenna looked down at the ground with her emotions getting all mixed up.

They knew…

All this time, Hiccup and the other Riders had known about what had happened to her and Eret's old home yet they never told them!

'_Why did they keep it a secret? Did they maybe forget? No…Hiccup wouldn't forget something like that…But still…why didn't he say anything?! WHY?!_' Zenna thought, her emotions barely contained. She felt nothing but anger, betrayal, confusion, frustration and shock.

Then Heather noticed that Zenna's magic was still active. Snow was falling, storm clouds were brewing, plants were beginning to overgrow and small fires were igniting at her friend's feet. "Holy Shields…" Zenna murmured and struggled to stay calm and eliminate the changes her Elementals had made. Heather helped calm her down and quickly brought her and El inside the house. Old Wrinkly was mixing up a brew in an iron cauldron and a strange smoke was rising up from it.

"This will fix her up…Had she been human, I would've had to adjust her memory in order to help her. But since she is a dragon, her memories will still be intact, however, but I don't think she'll be traumatized…" Old Wrinkly said as he fanned the smoke towards Stryka. The smoke entered Stryka's nostrils and she relaxed, feeling better. "She will be okay," Old Wrinkly smiled gently. "Thank you, Old Wrinkly…" Henna sighed out gratefully. "See, El my boy? Everything will be alright…" Edgar told his son. "Yay! Swykwa's okay!" El cheered. Zenna sighed with relief and gently hugged Stryka, the one-eyed Night Fury cooing softly in her sleep.

But then Old Wrinkly looked at Zenna seriously. "Listen to me, Zenna. Your power will only grow," he said as a cloud of smoke rose from the cauldron. As if by magic a figure of Zenna, surrounded by people, appeared. "There is beauty in it…" Old Wrinkly said, as the figure of Zenna began to move and show off its magic. "But also great danger…" suddenly the smoke turned red, making Zenna gasp in fear.

"You must learn to control it. _Fear will be your enemy_,"

As Old Wrinkly said this, the figures of the townspeople began to surround the Zenna figure that backed away in fear, before they swooped in for the kill. Zenna then remembered Eira's warning and a seed of fear began to take root inside her.

What if this happened again? What if she hit Stryka again and, this time, her magic struck her heart? What if she lost control over her powers again? What if she ended up hitting somebody else she cared about? El…her parents…Auntie Valka…Gobber…Astrid…Snotlout…Fishlegs…the Twins…their dragons…Toothless…Hiccup…oh gods, not Hiccup…sure she felt angry and betrayed by him for not telling her about the South, but that didn't mean she wanted to hurt him…or something worse for it…or…worse…

_Eret_…

Looking at her engagement ring, Zenna began to wonder if it was too dangerous for her to be around Eret and the others anymore…What if shewas too dangerous for them to be around…

* * *

After thanking Old Wrinkly and Heather, the Fiersomes left for Berk. It was already late at night by the time they arrived. El hopped off of Serpent and smiled at his big sister. "Down't wowwy, Zenwa. Stwykwa will be all better…" he said sweetly and ran to give his big sister a hug. But Zenna, fearing the worst, backed away from him and said, "El, please stay back…I-I don't wanna hurt you…"

El was confused but didn't make a move to get near his sister again. Henna and Edgar looked at each other worriedly as they went inside the house. "I'm so sorry…I lost control over my powers just one time and this happens…" Zenna said, tears beginning to well up in her eye. "Zenna love, it was an accident…You don't have to apologize…" Henna told her daughter reassuringly as she sent El to bed. "You lost control just once, love. I'm sure it won't happen again…" Edgar said. Zenna then looked at them. "Yeah, it won't happen again…because I'm never using my curse ever again," she said flatly.

That got Henna and Edgar even more worried.

"It's not a curse, love! It's a blessing!" Henna insisted. "Yeah, and look where it got my ancestor, Eira Zennaria? People killed her because they thought she was dangerous. What if the same thing happens to me and, this time, they'll have proof that I _am _dangerous? For Thor's sake, Mom and Dad, I could have killed El or Stryka that time!" Zenna exclaimed, unintentionally making her powers manifest again much to her chagrin.

Then her face turned sad as she looked at her engagement ring. The symbol of the promise Eret made to her…that they'd spend the rest of their lives together…

It was probably best for the both of them that they don't…

Henna caught Zenna's eye, looked at the ring on her daughter's finger…and realized what she was thinking.

"No, Zen, no. You can't break off your engagement!" she cried out in horror. "I have to," Zenna said quietly. "But all the preparations the village has made! You're letting all of their efforts go to waste!" Edgar said worriedly. "It's better than me losing control during the wedding and causing a fiasco for everybody…Or hating everyone I care about," Zenna muttered. Henna's face showed pure worry and sadness. "But what about Eret? Can you imagine what this would do to him? Zenna love, he loves you so much…If you call the wedding off, he'll be completely heartbroken…Please, dear, you can't just break off your engagement to him all because of this little accident…" she pleaded.

But Zenna merely went upstairs to her room.

As much as she hated her decision…Zenna knew that it was the only way to protect Eret and everyone she loved.

Tomorrow…she was going to have to break Eret's heart before she destroyed it…And then…shut herself out from the outside world…to keep everyone safe…

* * *

**Feel free to read and review whenever and whatever you all want.**

**-GuardianDragon98**


	6. 5: Where's the Good in Goodbye?

**Another update to Frozen Fire.**

**Warning: You might need tissues.**

**NOTE: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING, NOT EVEN THE SONG LYRICS HERE.**

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**Chapter 5: Where's the Good in Goodbye?**

_Oh, but as you walk away_

_You don't hear me say_

_Where's the "good" in "goodbye"?_

_Where's the "nice" in "nice try"?_

_Where's the "us" in "trust" gone?_

_Where's the "soul" in "soldier on"?_

_Now I'm the "low" in "lonely"_

'_Cause I don't own you only_

_I can take this mistake_

_But I can't take the ache from heartbreak_

_No, I can't take the ache from heartbreak_

**No Good in Goodbye – The Script**

* * *

Early the next morning, Zenna left the house without telling her parents. Stryka was still asleep in the stables as she passed by. Once again, the sight of the lightning bolt shaped wound on her Night Fury's head made Zenna cringe. It was her fault that Stryka got that wound. Even her own best dragon friend will have to stay away from her now…

'_I can lock myself up in my room later…Right now, I have to…Holy Shields, I can't do this…I can't do this to Eret again…I just can't…_' Zenna thought miserably as she reached Eret's house and made a move to knock but stopped. Her heart was already beginning to break as she stood there in the early morning light. She was about to do something she had hoped she would never have to do again. She already did it once when she and Eret saw each other again a year ago…she really didn't want him to experience the heartbreak once more. He'd been through too much for too long already…

_(Flashback Starts)_

'_Zenna and everyone else had just finished talking to Eret that afternoon. His depression was beginning to abate but the former dragon trapper was still emotionally fragile. But after Zenna, Hiccup, Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Valka, Edgar, Henna and Gobber had all talked to him and poured out their hearts into telling him that he was going to be okay, he was no longer going to be hurt and that they will never let Drago take him away, Eret now looked at them with teary eyes…and sheer gratitude._

"Eret, are you okay? Is there something you want to say?" _Valka asked gently. Eret nodded, his whole body trembling with suppressed sobs. What he said was something everyone would never forget. It was both a thank-you and a plea from the former dragon trapper._

"_I don't want to be alone anymore…_"

_Zenna nodded and hugged her boyfriend tightly, the others joining along in a big group hug. Eret buried his face into her shoulder, crying softly with joy and relief. _"I don't want to be alone anymore…" _he repeated, whimpering quietly. _"And you never will be, Eret…We'll never leave…And I'll _never _leave you, _ever_," _Zenna promised him…'_

_(Flashback Ends)_

Zenna's thoughts were interrupted when the door creaked open, revealing a surprised Eret. "Zenna! Hi. You're up early," the former dragon trapper greeted his fiancée with a smile, already excited about the wedding. His cheerfulness was contagious and Zenna couldn't help but smile a bit. "Good morning, Eret. I see you're an early riser yourself," she replied. Eret grinned and shrugged. "Well I learned how to wake up early when I was still trapping dragons. Anyway, would you like to have breakfast with me outside? Skullcrusher and I are planning to go to this lagoon over at the Southern part of the island. There's tons of fish just swimming there and we can catch our breakfast straight from the source! What do you say?" Eret asked, his brown eyes alight with pure joy.

How could he not be happy? In just a few more days, he and Zenna were going to get married!

Zenna, seeing how happy her soon to be ex - fiancé was, decided to hold off her decision for later. It was such a good day today and she didn't want to ruin it just like that from the very start for Eret…

"I'd love that. I'd fetch Stryka but she's still asleep. Can I maybe ride on Skullcrusher with you?" she asked, smiling while trying to avoid tearing up. Eret smiled widely. "Of course! Come on, let's go!" he said, practically sauntering over to an excited Skullcrusher.

Zenna looked down at her hands, prayed for the strength to not trigger her magic, and climbed aboard the Rumblehorn's back.

* * *

Skullcrusher roared with delight as he spotted the huge school of fish swimming just a bit below the water's surface when they reached the lagoon. "Alright, steady, Skullcrusher! Ready…aim…_fire_!" Eret shouted, his dragon shooting out a fireball that hit the very center of the school dead on! Holding out two small baskets, Eret and Zenna caught whatever fish they could catch while Skullcrusher gobbled up the rest, cramming at least a dozen fish into his mouth.

"Skullcrusher, careful! You might choke," Eret laughed but his Rumblehorn ignored him and swallowed quickly, and then started choking on a fish! "Oh gods! Not good, not good!" Eret yelped and got his dragon to quickly land. Skullcrusher was now hacking and frantically dry heaving to get the fish unstuck from his throat. "St-stay still, buddy! Just stay still!" Eret said, panicking, as he tried to help his Rumblehorn cough up the fish. Seeing the urgency, Zenna quickly gave Skullcrusher a big slap on his back. Unwittingly her Lightning sparked from her fingertips and the shock caused Skullcrusher to suddenly convulse and successfully retch, the fish lodged in his gullet flying out of his mouth along with a blast of fire!

Zenna yelped and quickly hid her hands behind her back, hoping that the sparks would fizz out, and fearfully looked at Eret. But, much to her relief, he hadn't seen the magic and was now petting Skullcrusher who looked rather relieved to not have fish stuck in his throat.

"See what I told you? The next time, Skull, you shouldn't cram that much fish into your mouth. It's a good thing the Dragon Doctor knew just what to do," Eret gently chided his Rumblehorn before looking at Zenna with a grateful smile. Zenna felt her cheeks grow warm and she smiled shyly.

After that little scare and a good breakfast of grilled fish, Zenna and Eret left the lagoon. Then Zenna remembered what she had to do and sighed heavily. No more stalling. She had to do this now. "Hey, Eret, can we go to the woods? We can drop off Skullcrusher at your place," she suggested. Eret looked at her, a bit puzzled, but obliged. Once Skullcrusher had settled back into his pen, the two lovers walked to the woods in silence. Zenna felt her stomach twist itself into knots the deeper she and Eret went into the forest, beginning to dread what was to come. Eret, on the other hand, didn't suspect a thing but was beginning to get concerned about Zenna upon seeing how tense she looked while they walked.

When Zenna saw that they had gone deep enough, she stopped and turned to face Eret. The former dragon trapper stopped walking and fixed his gaze on his beloved. His amber brown eyes showed nothing but pure love and concern towards her. It was completely heart wrenching for Zenna, even if she hadn't even said the awful words that were to end their relationship yet. The guilt became too great and she began to sob, the tears running down her face like tiny streams. Without a word, Eret went over to Zenna and gently wrapped his arms around his fiancée in a tender embrace. Zenna allowed herself to melt into Eret's hug, sniffling and muffling her sobs into his chest.

"Zenna…? Are you okay?" Eret asked softly, gently rubbing circles on the back of her coat. Zenna whimpered, shaking her head, her body trembling as she continued to cry while keeping all of her Elementals from coming out. Eret was really worried now and gently kissed Zenna's tears away. "Hey…Hey, it's okay, Zen…It's okay…Shh…It's alright, Zenna…I'm here…I'm here…" he whispered, gently brushing the one-eyed Fiersome's tears away.

"I can't do this…" Zenna suddenly said and, not meaning to, harshly pushed Eret away from her. Stunned, Eret took a step back and regarded Zenna with concern. "Zenna, are you alright?" he asked softly. Shaking her head, Zenna wiped her tears away. "Eret, I'm so sorry…but I just can't…" she said quietly. "Can't what? Zen, what is it?" Eret asked worriedly, going over to his fiancée but kept a respectful distance between her and him.

Taking a deep breath to strengthen her resolve, Zenna looked at Eret right in the eye. "The wedding, Eret…I don't think I can do it…" she said at last. Eret's eyes widened in shock but the surprise was easily replaced with confusion.

"You want to call the wedding off? Well…yeah…I guess it'll be okay to move it to another date if _you _think it's a bit too early and the preparations aren't enough…" he managed to say before Zenna cut him off. "I don't want to _move _the wedding, Eret. I want to call it off, _completely_," she said flatly. Too late did she realize that the tone she had used was harsher than she had intended until Zenna saw realization dawn on Eret's face.

The former dragon trapper could hardly believe what he had just heard. A seed of doubt had been sown the moment when he noticed the tension in Zenna while they had walked through the forest, which began to take root when his fiancée had started crying. And now…the seed of doubt had grown into his worst fear.

"Zenna…are you…are you…_breaking up with me?_" he whispered, barely able to get the words past his lips. Zenna felt tears well up in her eye once again as she slowly, and regretfully, nodded.

Eret felt like the whole world had blacked out and it was just him and Zenna all alone. So many emotions were running through him: shock, confusion, anger, betrayal…basically, every kind of emotion he hated feeling. His heart began to beat fast in his chest due to the pain in it upon realizing that Zenna, his goddess, princess and everything, was breaking off not only her engagement to him but their entire relationship.

"_Why?_" that single question conveyed everything Eret was currently feeling as he looked at Zenna in anguish. The one-eyed Fiersome lady held back her tears as she tried but failed to explain. "Eret…it's…complicated. You wouldn't understand…" she said quietly. "D-did I do something wrong? If I did then I'm so sorry…I-I'll try to be better…" Eret stammered, wondering if he was the reason why Zenna wanted to break up with him. Sighing Zenna went over to him and gently caressed her beloved's face. "It's not you, Eret…It's me…_I'm _the reason why this can't work out…I'm so sorry…" she whispered, tears slipping down her face. Eret felt his own eyes well up with tears as he gently brushed his thumb under Zenna's cheek. "Zenna, you've done nothing wrong. You're _perfect_ in every way…I love you so, so much…But, why? Just please tell me why this is happening?" he asked, no, begged as the pain in his heart began to become unbearable.

Frustrated, Zenna tore herself away from the former dragon trapper. "I just don't want to hurt you," she said plainly, which made the man in front of her angry. "Well you're doing a really lousy job right now!" Eret snapped at Zenna, startling her. Suddenly Eret realized what he had just done and he instantly regretted it the minute he saw Zenna's frightened face. "Oh, gods…Zenna, I-I'm sorry…I-I didn't mean to…" Eret stuttered anxiously before Zenna held up a hand to silence him. "You have every right to be mad at me…I don't blame you for it…But I have to go…I'm sorry…" the young lady then turned around and began to walk away.

Desperate, Eret ran over to Zenna and grabbed her right hand. Whirling back around, Zenna saw that Eret was crying now, the tears trickling down his face. And the sight of her beloved childhood sweetheart in tears was enough to make Zenna cry herself but she held them back, for fear that her powers would be exposed. "Zen, _please…_" Eret pleaded as he held onto Zenna's hand. He only said those two words yet his eyes told more.

'_Please don't leave me…I don't know how I can live without you…Please…I don't want to be alone again…Don't do this to me, please…I don't want to be left all alone again, Zenna…_' he thought in despair, hoping that Zenna could tell what he was thinking. But Zenna couldn't tell what Eret was thinking. With a heavy heart, Zenna wrenched her hand away from Eret's and then pressed her lips to his. They'd kissed countless times before and each and every one had been full of love, happiness and the unspoken promise of being together for the rest of their lives.

Not this one.

This kiss was filled with nothing but sorrow and regret…

And this was going to be their very last.

When they pulled away from each other, Eret looked at Zenna with a flicker of hope in his eyes. But that hope died the minute Zenna opened her mouth and said the words he hoped he would never have to hear.

"_Goodbye, Eret…_"

And with that, Zenna turned around and walked away…without ever looking back.

Eret could only watch, utterly shell-shocked and completely heartbroken, as his love left him…forever. Then, as soon as Zenna was gone from his sight, Eret realized that Zenna had slipped something into his hand. Opening his clenched fist, Eret saw what it was.

_It was Zenna's engagement ring._

And just like that, Eret's already broken heart was completely obliterated.

It was hours until he finally forced himself to go home.

* * *

Meanwhile Zenna _ran_, not caring if anyone saw her or saw the tears on her face, until she finally found herself in the Lost Caverns. This was the Thorston Twins' dark, soggy, alone place but they never really came here anymore.

Which meant nobody would see her lose it.

Crying and screaming hysterically, Zenna unleashed her Elementals on the place with reckless abandon. Her Fire scorched the cavern's ceilings, her Ice coated the rocky floor, her Lightning sent bolts of electricity through rocks and crushed them with their power and thorny vines covered the walls like a prickly blanket.

By the time Zenna had run out of tears to cry, the inside of the Lost Caverns was hardly recognizable. Upon exiting the caverns, Zenna saw that it was already past sunset. She had spent almost the entire day venting out all of her pain. She quickly went back to her house and, ignoring her family's concern over where she had been and the worried calls of her name, ran upstairs to her room. As soon as she was inside, Zenna closed the windows and locked the door to keep anyone from entering.

Thoroughly exhausted and utterly destroyed, Zenna collapsed onto her bed in a fit of tearless sobs until she allowed herself to sink into a deep, dreamless slumber.

* * *

Meanwhile, Eret had gone back to the village in a daze and had managed to get through the day by mostly spending it with Skullcrusher. He avoided the villagers as they merrily prepared for what had supposed to have been the best day of his and Zenna's lives as well as Hiccup, Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs and the Twins. How was he going to tell them that there wasn't going to be a wedding after all? How _can _he? Everything was going fine for the past many weeks and then, all of a sudden, everything was now all for naught.

Maybe he'll be lucky and it'll be Zenna's parents who were going to break the news to everyone tomorrow. Then again…fingers might be pointed at him and he'll have to take the blame for everything…Gods, he didn't even want to imagine what Hiccup will do to him once the news had been given.

Stumbling back into his house, Eret merely flopped onto his bed and drew the covers over himself. For a minute, he lay in the dark completely silent and wide awake. Then he felt the ring that he still had in his hand and Eret felt the intense pain that had been slightly dulled from trying to not think about what had happened that morning come back to him and he couldn't take it anymore.

Skullcrusher waddled into the house, still hungry even when he had just had dinner, and found his Rider in bed with the blanket completely covering his form. But that did nothing to keep the Rumblehorn from hearing Eret's sobs and see the blanket quiver as his Rider trembled all over. Crooning worriedly, Skullcrusher nudged Eret's hand from under the blanket. Something fell out of the bed and clattered to the floor. Sniffing the object, Skullcrusher saw that it was the special gold circle the Queen's Rider had worn on her birthday…the special gift his Rider had practically slaved over the past month before the birthday party.

Rumbling with concern, Skullcrusher nuzzled Eret's covered face. But his Rider kept crying and this made Skullcrusher worried and sad as well. Whatever was wrong with his Rider, he couldn't find a way to make him feel better so he was forced to watch Eret cry with despair until he fell asleep, the tears still running down his face…

* * *

***Ducks behind Hiccup's Gronckle Iron shield***

**You may now review this…**

**-GuardianDragon98**


	7. 6: Waiting Outside a Locked Door

**Revised and edited. Feel free to comment on the changes.**

**NOTE: I DO NOT OWN HTTYD**

* * *

**Chapter Six: Waiting Outside a Locked Door**

"_WHAT?!_"

El winced, covering his ears, as the villagers began to talk loudly amongst themselves. Henna and Edgar had just assembled the village in the Great Hall for the announcement of the wedding's cancellation. And everyone, basically, flipped out. All the planning and preparations gone to waste after so many days of hard work just like that.

Hiccup, Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs and the Twins were completely shocked, Hiccup the most of all. Why would Zenna and Eret suddenly want to cancel the wedding? It was all the two could talk about whenever they were together! Then the accusations began flying.

"That no good Son of Eret must have been unfaithful!"

"How dare he?! After we gave him another chance!"

"Everybody, shut up!" Edgar thundered while Henna snapped her fingers. Serpent and Serpentine instantly reared up and roared, silencing the Great Hall. All of the villagers looked at Henna and Edgar who both sternly glared at them all.

"Eret, Son of Eret, has nothing to do with this! Our daughter made the decision to cancel the wedding not because of him. Truth be told, we cannot fathom why Zenna would want to break off her engagement. All we know from her is that she told Eret yesterday that she wanted nothing to do with him from now on. And, while we may have not spoken to Eret about this matter, there is no doubt that he is in shock. He has been a fine gentleman to both our daughter and our family and we believe and know that he has not been unfaithful to Zenna."

Upon hearing Henna's words, the villagers began to murmur in confusion until Edgar shushed them. "Need I remind you lot the last time all of you suspected Eret? The lad's already gone through a living Helheim at the hands of Drago and Zenna breaking up with him has no doubt hurt him worse than any branding a madman could give you. So my family and I implore to you all to hold your suspicions over Eret until we hear Zenna's side of the story," he said seriously.

At this, the villagers all decided to agree on withholding their judgment on Eret until further notice.

After the meeting was over, Henna and Edgar went to go talk to Gobber and Valka while El played with Stryka who had joined the meeting. The one-eyed female Night Fury was visibly upset since Zenna wasn't with her and she missed her Rider dearly. She hadn't even had the chance to show Zenna that she was fine and that she didn't blame her for what happened yesterday. But she had been gently instructed by Zenna's parents to not speak a word about the accident to anyone. And as much as she wanted to explain the whole thing to Zenna's friends, Stryka knew that she couldn't.

Meanwhile the other Riders left the Great Hall and began to talk. "I kind of believe in what Zen's parents said. There's no way Eret could be unfaithful to Zenna," Astrid said thoughtfully. "Are you even sure about that? I mean remember how he betrayed her when we first met him? If he was a bad guy once, he _can _be a bad guy again," Snotlout pointed out, feeling a bit suspicious. "Maybe…but we should probably give Eret the benefit of doubt. He wasn't in the meeting earlier, come to think of it…" Fishlegs said, putting a hand to his chin. "Probably so he wouldn't have to fess up to being a cheating git…" Tuffnut muttered, angry at the former dragon trapper that had once broken his former crush's heart. "Come on guys, can't we just cut Eret some slack? He probably didn't come because he's too depressed…" Ruffnut said before noticing that Hiccup was heading over to Eret's house.

* * *

Eret had already gotten out of bed earlier in the morning and had already washed up and dressed. But when it came to eating, he only fed Skullcrusher but he couldn't find it in himself to make breakfast. After yesterday, Eret wasn't really sure if life was worth living anymore now that Zenna had pretty much broken up with him and left him to grieve on his own. So, he just sat down on a chair in the living room and stared at the ring Zenna had given back to him with a blank look on his face. Then somebody knocked loudly on the door and that seemed to bring Eret back to reality. Getting up, Eret shuffled on over to the door and opened it.

The next thing he knew, Hiccup's fist punched him squarely in the face!

"_Hiccup!_" Astrid cried out in surprise as her boyfriend grabbed Eret by the shirtfront and roughly shook him. "Talk, you son of an Eret! What did you do to make Zen cancel her wedding?! Eret, what did you do?!" Hiccup growled, his emerald green eyes blazing with fury. "Chief, I swear I don't know!" Eret whimpered pathetically, trembling slightly in fear of the Chief's wrath. Luckily Toothless nudged Hiccup and cooed gently to calm his Viking brother down. "Hiccup, let him go. He said that he didn't know and we should understand," Astrid said gently, placing her hand on Hiccup's shoulder.

But Eret sighed and braced himself. "It's okay, Astrid. I deserve this anyway. Go ahead, Hiccup, do your worst…" he said in defeat. Hiccup looked uneasy at how the former dragon trapper was willing to receive punishment and, after a moment, let go of Eret's shirtfront. The 21-year-old Chief flinched upon seeing that he had given Eret a really hard punch to the right side of his face, causing him to get a black eye. "I…I'm sorry, Eret…" he mumbled apologetically. Eret smiled a bit and said, "It's cool, Chief…" wincing a bit from the pain in his eye.

That's when everyone noticed that Eret was visibly distraught. His eyes were red from crying and his brow was creased with sadness. Once they had settled in Eret's house, Skullcrusher resting at his master's feet and cooing in concern, they listened to Eret's side of the story. It was obvious that the former dragon trapper was still reeling from getting his heart broken because by the time he finished explaining to the team what had happened yesterday, Eret was close to tears already.

"And she didn't tell you _why _she wanted to break up with you?" Fishlegs asked. "She told me that it was because of _her_…But I don't know why she thinks she's the problem! Zenna's anything but that! But she just…Gods, I don't even know what to do anymore!" Eret moaned and thunked his head against the top of the table, completely depressed. "Oh, you poor baby…" Ruffnut said softly and went to give Eret a hug before getting an ice pack for his swollen shiner. For once, he didn't appear uncomfortable about it.

"So…that's it? She just…_left_?" Snotlout asked. Eret nodded dejectedly. "Whoa…dude…sorry about suspecting you…" Tuffnut mumbled, feeling rather ashamed. "I understand you'd want to suspect me, guys…After all, I was a pretty big jerk back then…" Eret shrugged and sighed sadly. Astrid comfortingly patted his back. "Don't worry, Eret. We'll figure something out to get you and Zenna back together. Until then, well, we can always plan the wedding a different time," she said reassuringly. Hiccup had stayed silent the whole time and, now, he stood up from his seat.

"Zenna wouldn't just break off her engagement just like that…She must have an important reason…" he mumbled before coming up with an idea. "I'll go talk to her, Eret. If she couldn't say anything to you then maybe she can say it to me," he suggested. Eret looked at the one-legged Chief in surprise as he held the ice pack to his black eye before smiling gratefully.

"Wish me luck, guys…" Hiccup said before leaving with Toothless for the Fiersomes' house.

* * *

Locked in her room, Zenna just stared up at the ceiling while wallowing in her sadness. Her parents had come back from the meeting and, now, the entire village knew that she and Eret were no longer a couple. And she, honestly, felt unbearably guilty. Now fingers were being pointed at poor Eret and she did nothing to defend to him. In response to her negative emotions, Zenna's Lightning began to make her hair stand up due to the static. Frustrated, Zenna willed for her magic to disappear. That just resulted in all her other Elementals showing. Embers licked at her bed, the floor got coated in a fine layer of frost and vines began to creep up the walls!

"Holy Shields! Enough!" Zenna exclaimed and managed to get her magic under control…just as Hiccup knocked on her door.

"Zen…can I talk to you?" Hiccup's voice came from the other side of the door. Zenna sighed and got out of bed, walking over to the door but didn't open it. "Okay, Hicc, let's talk," she said, trying to sound as normal as she usually would. On the other side of the door, Hiccup awkwardly cleared his throat. "Um…then can you…maybe…open the door so I can see you?" he asked. That's when Zenna noticed that something was going on with her hair. Looking closely, she could see that four strands of her raven black hair were changing color! Letting out a small gasp, Zenna faced the door and, in the most firm tone she could muster, said, "No. I'm sorry, Hicc, but I don't really want to talk to you anymore."

'_Holy Shields, Hiccup, I am so sorry!_ She mentally screamed at herself. First, Eret and now she was pushing her brother away!

Hiccup visibly flinched, something Zenna couldn't see due to the door being locked, and leaned against the door. "Zen, what's going on? Your parents told us that the wedding's off this morning and we went to see Eret after the announcement. He's really upset, Zenna…And…so am I. You were so happy when Eret proposed to you on your birthday and…you're just going to break up with him now? Zen, I know you. And I know that you're hiding something from us. If it's a problem, I wanna help you…" he said softly, hoping that his surrogate sister would open the door. He really wanted to give Zenna a hug, comfort her and help her get through whatever was troubling her. Inside her room, Zenna stifled her tears and resisted the urge to open her door to Hiccup and confess. But the fear of hurting Hiccup, her Chief and brother not by blood but by bond, forced her to stop reaching for the door handle.

And then there was also the slight resentment she had begun to feel towards Hiccup. The one-legged Chief had never mentioned anything to her about meeting Heather again and learning what had happened to the South two years ago and, here he was, trying to talk to her like he hadn't kept a single secret from her! The nerve of him! Zenna felt tears of heartbreak and anger well up in her eye.

Finally Zenna said, "Go away, Hiccup. I don't wanna talk to you right now. Just please go away." As the tears began to flow. Hiccup stood on the other side of his surrogate sister's locked door, unable to say anything and utterly shocked. Never had Zenna ever told him to stay away from her like that. It was as if she had undergone a transformation into a whole different person overnight.

Edgar and Henna then came upstairs and looked at their Chief and sadly shook their heads. Seeing that there was nothing he could do for now, Hiccup turned back to Zenna's locked door. "Okay, bye…" he said sadly and followed Zenna's parents back downstairs. "Sorry, Chief…She's just not feeling well today…" Henna sighed. "Come back another time, Hiccup. Zenna will probably feel better by then," Edgar suggested. Hiccup ran a hand through his hair, a bit unsure, but nodded. "Bye, Uncka Hiccwup…Pwaytwime latwer?" El asked, sucking on his thumb. Hiccup smiled and affectionately ruffled the little boy's hair. "Sure thing, buddy. I'll come by this afternoon. Just promise me to take a nap, okay?" he asked softly. "Okway!" El giggled.

Leaving the Fiersome house, Hiccup looked up and saw that Zenna had even closed her windows. '_She didn't even want to see me…_' he thought miserably as he walked over to Toothless. The male Night Fury gurgled hopefully. "Sorry, bud…Zenna didn't want to talk…" Hiccup sighed. Toothless' face fell and he rumbled unhappily. "Yeah, I know, buddy…I'm worried about her, too…" Hiccup sighed as they flew back to the Great Hall. Inside, Eret was having a late breakfast but wasn't really eating much and picking at his food miserably while the gang was trying to cheer him up. Upon seeing Hiccup, Eret looked hopeful. "I tried talking to her…She didn't want to…" Hiccup reported sadly. Eret merely sighed and went back to picking at his food.

"Babe, maybe we just need to let Zenna have her space for now…" Astrid suggested, gently touching her boyfriend's shoulder. Hiccup nodded in agreement but looked almost as depressed as Eret. "I guess you're right…but…she didn't even want to see me…" the Chief sighed, glancing at Eret. The only thing the former dragon trapper could do was give Hiccup a sympathetic look.

They were two men waiting outside a locked door.

A locked door that had, on the other side, the woman they both loved dearly…and hoped would soon open.


	8. 7: Just Stay Away

**Hi guys. Sorry if this chapter's taken so long. WolfWitchHuntress1318 and I are on different sides of the world so it takes time for us to edit the chapters. Apart from that, I haven't been feeling so well lately but don't worry, I'll be fine :)**

**Anyways, enjoy this emotional chapter. There might be some lines that remind you of Frozen so pay attention!**

**NOTE: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING**

* * *

**Chapter Seven: Just Stay Away**

Elias II Stoick Fiersome happily held Eret, his stuffed Night Fury, in his right hand as he knocked on the door that led to the room of his most favorite person in the entire world.

"Zenna? _Do you wanna build a snow dragon? Come on let's go and play! I never see you anymore, come out the door, it's like you've gone away. We used to be best buddies…and now we're not. I wish you could tell me why! Do you wanna build a snow dragon? It doesn't have to be a snow dragon…_" El practically sang out, bouncing on his toes in excitement, hoping that his big sister would come out for once and play with him for the first time since the accident with Stryka happened. "Just stay away, El!" Zenna's muffled voice came from the other side of the door. El's face fell and he sadly squeezed his stuffed Night Fury to his chest. "Okay, bye…" he whispered and went outside the house where his Uncle Eret was waiting for him.

"She didn't want to come out?" Eret sighed upon seeing his nephew's disappointed look. "No…Sowwy, Uncka Eret…" El apologized. Truth be told, he wanted to tell his Uncle Eret, Uncle Hiccup and everyone else the reason why his big sister didn't want to come outside anymore. But, like Stryka, he'd been told by his Mama and Papa not to tell anybody about the accident. Eret smiled sadly and hoisted El up onto his shoulders. "Well, it's only been a week…Let's just give her more time, El. In the meantime, you and Eret the Night Fury can play with me and Skullcrusher," he told the little boy. "Okway…" El cooed.

Meanwhile Zenna was watching from her slightly open window while trying to figure out a way to hide the strands of her hair that had changed color. All four strands were colored differently based on her Elementals: fiery orange red, frost blue, forest green and bright violet. Zenna tried different styles, braids, buns and plaits, but couldn't find a way to keep the strands hidden. As she brushed her hair, Zenna forlornly gazed outside her window where she saw Eret pretending to be El's dragon steed, roaring and growling like a dragon, her baby brother squealing in delight. Sighing Zenna dropped her hands onto the windowsill, accidentally causing the plants in her flowerbox to overgrow! "Holy Shields!" Zenna exclaimed, quickly retracting her hands back.

Eret looked back in time to see Zenna's windows shut. The former dragon trapper furrowed his eyebrows in confusion upon also seeing some vines creeping up the walls of the Fiersome house. He waited a bit to see if, hopefully, Zenna would open the windows again so he could at least wave hi to her. But to Eret's disappointment, the windows stayed shut.

'_I just need to give her more time…Maybe she'll come out soon and we can finally talk…_' Eret thought as he carried El on over to the Dragon Stables to play with the baby dragons.

Later in the day, Zenna's parents knocked on her door. Zenna opened the door just a crack to let her Mom give her lunch. Then, before she closed the door, she whispered, "I want a pair of gloves. Make sure they have dragon scales sewn into the material, please."

Edgar and Henna could only look at each other worriedly. It had been a week since Zenna had decided to stop using her magic and had broken off her engagement to Eret. They knew that no matter how much she didn't want to use her Elementals anymore, Zenna's emotions were still linked to her magic. If she couldn't keep her emotions from spiking, her magic would react to them and manifest. But they decided to respect their daughter's wishes and Henna made a pair of black gloves, lined with dragon scales. As long as she wore the gloves, Zenna could keep her powers under control by some degree.

"Conceal…don't feel…don't let it show…" Zenna murmured to herself as she put the gloves on her hands and then clenched them close to her heart as she kept herself locked indoors.

* * *

Another week passed and El tried again, this time, on his Uncle Hiccup's behalf. "_Do you wanna build a snow dragon? Or maybe watch a Dragon Race? I think some company is overdue, everyone's wondering when they'll ever see your face. _Please come out, Zenna! _It gets a little lonely, without you around, Stryka and I watching the hours go by…_It's really boring without you, big sister…" El said softly only to receive no reply.

Dejected, El went downstairs where Hiccup was sitting on a chair with a concerned look on his face. "Sowwy, Uncka Hiccup…" El said, helplessly shrugging. Hiccup sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "You tried, buddy…I guess we just need to give your sister more time…" the 21-year-old Chief told El who was then lifted up onto his high chair so Henna could give him his lunch. Henna looked apologetic as she offered Hiccup a plate of food while Edgar poured the man a tankard of ale. "To be honest with you, Chief, we have no idea what's gotten into our daughter. She's never been a shut-in before, but now…" Edgar sighed heavily, weighed down by both his worry for his precious little gemstone and the burden of keeping Zenna's wonderful gift hidden from her friends. Hiccup took a swig of ale and slowly ate, contemplating on what to say. After a few bites, Hiccup said, "I heard that she and Stryka were involved in an accident about two weeks ago. Maybe that's the reason why she doesn't want to go outside..."

Stryka, who had been quietly eating her lunch in a corner, looked up at Hiccup nervously. That's when Hiccup noticed the lightning bolt mark on one side of the female Night Fury's head. "Did she get that scar when the accident happened?" Hiccup asked curiously. Edgar and Henna looked at each other, for one second, worriedly before regaining composure. "Well…yes…it was a rather bad accident, I'm afraid…" Henna said slowly. Hiccup abandoned his plate at the table and went over to Stryka. The one-eyed dragoness crooned softly and allowed Hiccup to pet her. The one-legged Chief gently traced the lightning bolt shaped scar on Stryka's face, wondering what kind of accident could have possibly caused Stryka to get such a strange scar. As much as he wanted to know more about the accident so he could try to help Zenna, Hiccup knew that Zenna and her family were still coming to terms with all the drastic changes and decided not to pry any further.

"Thanks for letting me have lunch here, Mr. and Mrs. Fiersome. Toothless and I need to go on patrol. Tell Zenna we say hi," Hiccup said politely and took his leave. About a minute after Hiccup had left on Toothless did Zenna suddenly come out of her room with a terrified look on her face! "Help…" she whimpered and turned around. "Oh, my Thor!" Henna squeaked in shock. "Great gods…" Edgar breathed out.

Zenna couldn't possibly think that things could get worse for her. Her powers had already started going out of control and even her hair had changed slightly due to her magic! What Zenna and her family didn't know was that, due to being the first Elemental in the family in a long time, the one-eyed Dragon Doctor's magic had developed at an accelerated pace and began to physically manifest through the colored strands of her hair…and something else.

And that something else was the four wings on Zenna's back!

"It's getting stronger! I don't know what to do! Mom, Dad, get these wings off of me please!" Zenna pleaded. Henna and Edgar tried to pull the wings off their daughter's back but the wings didn't want to come off. They looked like Night Fury wings but were in different colors that were the same as Zenna's colored hair: fiery orange red, frost blue, forest green and bright purple, and didn't even look like actual wings. Rather, they seemed to be ethereal in the elements they were created from and the way they folded up reminded Zenna of Cloudjumper.

Henna and Edgar both tried again only to get the same result. To make things worse, Zenna's fear spiked up her powers to start showing through the gloves and made her more scared. "No, wait! Don't touch me!" she screamed and backed away from her parents. "Zenna, love…we're just trying to help…" Edgar said worriedly. "Please…I don't want to hurt you…" Zenna said quietly before deciding to just retreat into her room. "Oh, Zen…" Henna began to tear up, feeling useless. El whimpered and tried to help his Mama feel better and tried to get to her, hindered by his position in his high chair. Edgar soothingly kissed his wife's head and embraced her. "Oh, Edgar…our dear girl's no longer the same…Where did I go wrong…?" Henna sobbed. "Nowhere, love…You've done nothing wrong in raising our daughter…" Edgar reassured her while also reassuring himself.

From the moment Zenna was born and Elder Mara had given them their daughter's prophecy, Henna and Edgar have done everything they could to make sure Zenna grew up not fearing the magic or supernatural in order to prepare her for the day her Elemental powers would manifest. And it seemed to have worked for Zenna had grown to possess an open mind with a natural curiosity for everything. When her powers manifested, Henna and Edgar were glad and extremely relieved to see her happy and trying out her powers for the first time. But thanks to the accident, Zenna now saw her gift as a curse and made herself hide behind a locked door.

And her parents could only hope that, somehow, their beloved Zenna would finally move past the accident and embrace being an Elemental.

* * *

But another week passed and Zenna refused to come out of her room. Astrid and the other Riders had tried and failed to get her out of the house before finally giving up. The only ones who didn't give up on Zenna were Eret and Hiccup. Day after day, the two would come to the Fiersome house, sometimes together and other times alone or with their dragons, and stand in front of Zenna's bedroom door to try and have a conversation with her. Sometimes Zenna was tempted to open the door, even just a tiny crack, in order to see them but she would always look in the mirror and see the four colored strands of her hair and the strange wings on her back and decide against it. If Hiccup and Eret saw her new appearance, they would be shocked and even terrified of her…

After two more weeks, Edgar and Henna decided that staying inside her room was making Zenna unhealthy so they had to force her to get out of the house every morning at early dawn to get some sun. If she didn't do that, then, they had no choice but to tell Hiccup, Eret and the others what had happened. Zenna felt rather betrayed when her parents told her of their decision but she willingly complied. Truth be told, she was starting to feel rather cooped up in her room. She decided to go but on two conditions. One was that Stryka had to go with her and the other was that she would be allowed to wear a cloak in order to hide her wings and her face should anyone see her. These terms Edgar and Henna complied with so, a day after the bargain was struck, Zenna went outside of her house for the first time in five weeks and made for the woods with Stryka.

It was just about half an hour after the sun had risen so the entire village was still fast asleep. Stryka yawned, still feeling sleepy, and followed Zenna around the forest. Even if she was allowed to accompany her, Stryka was still ordered by Zenna to keep a safe distance away from her. It wasn't exactly how she wanted to spend time again with her best friend but at least she could be with Zenna again. And, honestly, Zenna was glad to have time with Stryka again. She often talked to her, apologizing mostly, while walking around and soaking up the sunshine. And Stryka always listened to her and crooned comforting words to her.

"Stryka, I don't know what to do. My powers just keep on appearing and, lately, it feels like you, El and my parents are the only friends I have. Should I tell someone else? I'm caught between a rock and a hard place here…" Zenna said miserably. Before Stryka could reply, the sound of steel clashing against a rock caught both girls' attention. Curious, Zenna and Stryka followed the sound until they came to a small clearing. Zenna's eye widened as she saw Eret furiously striking his sword against a boulder. "Hyah! Yah! Hyah!" the former dragon trapper grunted as he swung his sword at the rock again and again, his face visibly hardened by a scowl.

Ever since Zenna broke up with him, Eret tried to stay positive but to no avail. Sure, he still hung out with his friends but it just wasn't the same anymore without Zenna. Normally men his age would try to drown their sorrows in drink but Eret wasn't like them and preferred to blow off steam in the woods, slashing his sword at innocent trees and at rocks until he completely tired himself out.

Eret then took a hard swing at the boulder and his sword suddenly shattered into pieces, leaving him with just the hilt. Panting, Eret leaned against the boulder. Zenna was prepared to leave when she heard him let out a sob. Eret suddenly broke down in tears, crying softly as he knelt amongst the remains of his ruined sword.

"Why…? Just…why?" he choked out, tears welling up in his brown eyes and streaming down his face. Zenna felt her heart clench painfully and, then, break when she heard the next thing Eret said through his tears.

"_Why did she leave me? Why doesn't she love me anymore…?_"

As much as she wanted to go to Eret and tell him that she still loved him, Zenna knew that it was too risky for her to confront Eret about anything and snuck away. Stryka was the only one who saw Eret pull something out from under his shirt.

It was the ring her Rider had worn on her birthday when Eret proposed to her. Eret had strung it on a chain and wore it wherever he went, never taking it off. It was his only reminder of what could have been…before Zenna shut him out.

"I miss you, Zenna…" he whispered brokenly. Stryka couldn't take it and left to follow Zenna back home.

* * *

But Zenna didn't count on bumping into Hiccup when she was just steps away from reaching her house. "Oh, sorry! I didn't…" Hiccup began to apologize when he recognized the face of the woman he had considered his sister not by blood but by bond. "Zenna…?" the young Chief breathed out. Eye wide with fear, Zenna merely made a mad dash for her house! "Zen, wait!" Hiccup cried out before Zenna went back inside her house and slammed the door shut. Stryka rushed past Hiccup, looked back to give the one-legged man a sad croon, and flew through an open window.

'_What's going on with Zenna? Why doesn't she want to see me anymore…? Why has she shut us all out?_' Hiccup thought worriedly as he stood there in the quiet morning.

So many questions but not enough answers…

Then, after a month, everything came to a head.

* * *

**I'm mostly listening to the Frozen OST for inspiration in this story but I also listen to "You Got Me" by Gavin DeGraw. Try listening to it. It's really nice :)**

**-GuardianDragon98**


	9. 8: The Harvest Festival

**Hi everyone! Another update to Frozen Fire. This doesn't have the big revelation of Zenna's powers in the story but we will meet our Hans here…be prepared!**

**Other things to watch out for: the start of Eret and Hiccup's brotherly bond and Mildew being our Duke of Weselton...or Weaseltown, whichever you guys prefer.**

**NOTE: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING**

* * *

**Chapter Eight: The Harvest Festival**

The whole village of Berk was bustling with activity. Banners were hung up, barrels of ale and mead were getting filled and carts overflowed with the bounties of the harvest. It was Berk's Harvest Festival and everyone was preparing to celebrate the fruits of their labor with a great feast in the Great Hall that was to happen tonight.

"Why do I have to wear this again?" 16-year-old Gustav Larson complained as his mother dusted off his one long tunic. "Because we must all be well-dressed. It's Berk's Harvest Festival!" Mrs. Larson said excitedly. "That's not my fault," Gustav whined.

Meanwhile Gobber was welcoming Alvin, Savage and, begrudgingly, Mildew at the docks. "Good to see you again, Alvin the Meathead!" Gobber greeted the leader of the Meathead tribe with a hearty clap on Alvin's back. "Always happy to partake in the feast, Gobber! Eh, is that a new prosthetic?" Alvin grinned. "Ooh, a crossbow!" Savage said in fascination. "Hiccup designed it. Even as Chief, he still finds time to create the most interesting contraptions," Gobber chuckled, running a finger across his crossbow hand. Suddenly he accidentally fired an arrow that nearly hit Mildew but ended up getting stuck in a wood post! A few inches more and the arrow would have split the old coot's brain.

Mildew muttered and went on his way, his sheep, Fungus, following him. Then Hiccup and Toothless landed in front of him. "Oh…Hey, Mildew," Hiccup greeted the old man with a tight smile. "Oh, bah! Hey yourself, Chief," Mildew grumbled and left. Toothless growled, still not trusting the old man, while Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Still the grumpy old geezer he was five years ago," he sighed before being greeted by Alvin and Savage. "Ah, Alvin. Welcome back," the 21-year-old Chief smiled as he and the Meathead leader shook hands. "Good to be back, Chief. And here I thought I'd never get to join a feast after…" Alvin began to say before Savage cleared his throat, seeing the slightly sad look on Hiccup's face. Hiccup knew what Alvin wanted to say. He had actually invited him and Savage to Eret and Zenna's wedding but had to fly to Meathead Island shortly after Zenna's parents announced that the wedding had been called off. Alvin and Savage were rather disappointed and were also rather concerned about Zenna. They had also been looking forward to meeting Eret for the first time ever since they had heard of the brave former dragon trapper's exploits.

Savage nervously twiddled his thumbs. "How is Zenna anyway, good sir?" he asked politely. Hiccup had to smile a bit at Savage's politeness, even when the man was older than him, and replied, "Truth be told, I haven't seen her in quite some time. But I stop by her house everyday and her parents say that she's in good health." Making Savage nod in understanding.

Gobber then saw Eret's crew arriving back at the docks, their nets laden with more fish for the upcoming feast. "Eh, Chief, don't look now but it looks like a certain someone's crew is missing a captain," he nudged Hiccup who also noticed Eret's absence. Sighing Hiccup bade Alvin and Savage goodbye and mounted Toothless, taking off in the direction of Eret's house.

* * *

Skullcrusher was peacefully dozing in his stable when Toothless landed in front of Eret's house. The Rumblehorn snapped to attention and bowed to the Alpha while Hiccup went inside Eret's house. The former dragon trapper was still asleep, his hair tousled, and snoring blissfully. "Eret," Hiccup said, his friend still sleeping. "Eret, Son of Eret," he tried again. This time, Eret managed to wake up slightly. "Mmmm…Five more minutes…" the former dragon trapper mumbled. "It's already morning," Hiccup said, a bit amused. "I'm not much of a morning person, Chief…" Eret groaned, burying his head under his pillow.

"I'm gonna get a water bucket if you don't get your lazy ass out of bed," Hiccup pretended to threaten Eret but was grinning. Eret let out a muffled chuckle and muttered, "I'd like to see you try." Prompting Hiccup to leave his room for a few minutes, coming back with a large bucket filled with ice cold water. "Aaaaaggghhh!" Eret yelped as he was suddenly drenched and fell out of bed and into a puddle of water. Hiccup was holding the bucket up and trying really hard not to laugh while Eret wrung the water out of his blanket. "Well at least you don't have to worry about washing up already since you got a nice cold shower," Hiccup grinned cheekily. Eret glared slightly at the 21-year-old but couldn't suppress a smile. "Just you wait, Hiccup. What goes around comes back around. I'm gonna get back at you one way or another," he smirked.

"Wow, I'm so terrified," Hiccup said sarcastically. Eret couldn't help but laugh and said, "I've never really met anyone quite as sarcastic as you, Chief." As he and Hiccup left his house. "Eh, sarcasm takes years of practice," Hiccup shrugged as he mounted Toothless. "By the way, your crew needs help at the docks. We gotta have a huge supply of fish for the big feast tonight!" Hiccup told Eret. "You can count on me, Chief!" Eret saluted as Hiccup and Toothless flew off to assist in other preparations for the festival.

Skullcrusher was now fully awake and grunted as Eret placed the saddle on him. "Come on, Skull, we've got a full day ahead of us!" Eret grinned at his Rumblehorn and they flew off to the docks. Cheerfully greeting the villagers, Eret and Skullcrusher sped on over to the ship Eret's crew was on. "Alright, lads, let's take these over to the Great Hall," Eret instructed his men and helped Ug haul in the morning catch. "You're in a chipper mood today, sir," Ug, the oldest among Eret's crew, remarked. "Well, it's a festival, Ug. Why wouldn't I be in a good mood?" Eret smiled before noticing the slightly concerned look on Ug's face. Eret sighed and patted his friend's shoulder. "Don't worry, I'm fine…I've come to terms that…Zenna and I…just didn't work out," he said reassuringly. Ug looked at Eret carefully for a few seconds before nodding and went back to work.

Eret stayed behind on the ship while his crew hauled the fish over to the Great Hall. Making sure that his ship's in good shape, Eret got off and went over to Skullcrusher. The Rumblehorn wagged his tail and opened his mouth, wanting food. "Here you go, buddy," Eret threw Skullcrusher a cod and his dragon happily gulped it down. Realizing that he hadn't had breakfast himself, Eret mounted Skullcrusher. "Okay, let's go!" he said. Skullcrusher went for a running start before suddenly stopping in his tracks when a woman got off a ship and stood in their path!

"Whoa!" Eret yelped as he was suddenly thrown forward off the saddle and landed unceremoniously face first in front of the girl! "Oh Thor! Are-are you okay?!" the woman exclaimed worriedly and held out a hand to the former dragon trapper. "Owww…" Eret mumbled, looking up. His brown eyes locked with the woman's deep gray ones and Eret, amazingly, found himself tongue tied. But he did accept her offered hand and pulled himself up. "You alright?" the woman, a slim figured lady with reddish orange hair tied back in a braid and wearing Berserker style clothing, asked. "Uh…um…yeah?" Eret replied, his answer sounding more like a question.

"Oh, thank goodness. I thought you'd been hurt…I'm sorry I got in the way. I was just…taking in the new sights," the woman said, relieved. Eret brushed aside his sudden shyness and was instantly back to his old self. "New sights, eh? I guess that means this is your first time in Berk," he said casually. The woman smiled, fiddling with her braid. "Yeah…and everything I heard about Berk's true. I mean, dragons! Dragons here, dragons there, dragons _everywhere_!" she exclaimed, looking around in amazement. Eret chuckled a bit. "It really is something, isn't it?" he asked, smiling. "Definitely," the woman smiled.

Skullcrusher then went over to the woman and sniffed her. The Rumblehorn growled, slightly startling the woman who inched closer to Eret for protection. "Skullcrusher, what's gotten into you?" Eret asked but his Rumblehorn merely snarled at the woman who gulped. Eret firmly planted himself between the woman and his dragon. "Now see here, Skull, we don't get all hostile towards people we just met. You got that?" he said sternly. Skullcrusher merely snorted but decided to stand down. Still, the Rumblehorn could smell the woman and knew that there was something bad about her.

Eret turned back to the woman and saw that she was dressed like a Berserker. But her sweet face contrasted the getup and Eret, honestly, didn't see anything hostile about her. "Sorry about Skullcrusher. He gets kind of aggressive towards strangers…" he apologized, looking at the woman from head-to-toe. The woman caught him looking at her outfit and blushed. "Oh, this? It's just something I got from my trip to Berserker Island…I must look like somebody hostile…My apologies," she said quietly. "Oh, no, no! It's fine! It's just that, well, Berkians and Berserkers…don't quite mix," Eret said carefully so as not to offend her. The woman smiled gently at him and Eret felt his face slowly heat up, which was weird. "I'm not a Berserker. I'm just a humble traveler. A nomad, actually. I go wherever the wind takes me," she said breezily. "Ah, the life of a wanderer, I've lived like that for majority of my life until I settled here," Eret remarked, smiling a bit.

The woman smiled, finding the former dragon trapper rather nice to talk to, and held out her hand. "My name's Thora. _Thora the Vagabond_," she introduced herself. "Eret, Son of Eret," Smiling, Eret shook Thora's hand before Skullcrusher grunted and brought his attention back to the festival. All at once, Eret's confident demeanor changed into a shy, clumsy type.

"The festival. Preparations. Oh, gods, I think I forgot an order for a saddle at the Armory," Eret mumbled and then looked at Thora. "Well, it was _lovely _to meet you, Miss Thora the Vagabond! I, uh, hope to see you at the big feast in the Great Hall tonight. But I best be going…I-I mean, I gotta go…Bye!" he rambled on, slowly backing up to the side of the pier. Thora was about to warn him when Eret turned around…and fell right into the water!

'_Dense idiot…_' Skullcrusher thought, rolling his eyes while Eret coughed and spluttered in the water. Thora looked down at him, holding back her laughter. "I…um…I…meant to do that!" Eret said quickly, blushing as Skullcrusher fished him out of the water. '_Oh well…at least I'm all clean now…_' Eret thought before Thora waved at him. And, cheeks turning red with shyness, Eret waved back and flew off to assist in the festival's preparations.

* * *

Zenna took a look in the mirror to make sure nothing was amiss. She had done up her hair in a ponytail that she could easily hide with the hood of her cloak and her wings were folded up as tightly as they were able. And, like always, her gloves stayed on. As long as nobody got any funny ideas of pulling down her hood, sneaking a peek under her cloak or pulling off her gloves, she could join the festivities, partake in the feast and slip away from the crowd whenever she could. Her parents had practically begged her to join them and she finally conceded, seeing how much her mother and father wanted her to try and live a normal life even for just one day as well as El's deep want to see her again. At least they allowed her to leave whenever she felt like leaving…

"Conceal…don't feel…don't let them know…" she whispered to herself before opening the door. The first person that greeted her was her dear baby brother, who was absolutely overjoyed at seeing his big sister Zenna outside of her room. He didn't go over to give Zenna a hug but El's wide grin was enough to tell Zenna that he was so happy. "Yay! Zenna's joining us in the festival! Yay!" El hopped about, wearing a miniature version of his father's formal outfit which consisted of a long blue tunic, brown fur vest, new pants and a belt with a shiny silver buckle and fur boots. Henna was also wearing a new lavender dress. As for Zenna, she wore her cloak, gloves and her white doctor's coat.

"You two look all dressed up with somewhere to go," Zenna quipped, smiling a little. "Eh, the only place we'll be going today, my precious little gemstone, is the Great Hall for the big feast," Edgar grinned. Henna then gently brushed a stray strand of hair away from her daughter's face. "It's going to be fine, love…Just keep calm. Are you ready?" she asked softly. "As I'll ever be, Mom…" Zenna sighed and, pulling up her cloak's hood, left her house with her family.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the village plaza, the other Dragon Riders were currently hanging out and chattering about the ongoing festivities. When Eret and Skullcrusher arrived, the former of the two was still soaking wet. After questioning Eret as to why he looked like he just got fished out of the water, the others, save for Hiccup and Astrid, were laughing at him.

"I can't believe you acted like a total doofus in front of a girl!" Snotlout chortled. "For your information, she was a _lady_. And a vagabond, might I add," Eret glared at the young Jorgenson while squeezing the water out of his hair and tying it back into a ponytail. "So, you have a crush on her already?" Tuffnut raised an eyebrow at him. "No! Why would you even ask that?" Eret looked at him, shocked. Ruffnut chose her words carefully. "Well, it's been a month and…" she looked at Eret with an expression that mixed worry and pity. Eret sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I know it's been a month, Ruff, but…I don't really see myself dating another woman…" he told her. "It still hurts, huh?" Hiccup sympathetically patted his back. "Yeah, but not as much as before…I guess I just need more time to move on…" Eret shrugged. "So, you're gonna stay single for the rest of your life?" Astrid asked the former dragon trapper. "Probably," Eret answered, shrugging again.

Hiccup felt bad for Eret. Of all the people affected by recent events, Eret was the most affected. Well, who could blame him? Getting dumped by the one girl you've been apart from for 12 years after just one year of being together again _and _not long after you've been engaged could really hurt a guy! The young Chief sympathized with Eret the most since he, himself, was also very close to Zenna. As the Dragon Doctor's surrogate brother, Hiccup loved Zenna as if she were his own flesh and blood. He and Eret were both still worried about Zenna and they both hoped they could see her at the festival today…

Hiccup offered Eret a small smile. "Just be optimistic, Eret. I'm sure things will work out between you and Zen in the end," he told the former dragon trapper. Eret smiled back and sighed, "I sure hope so, Hiccup…" before Fishlegs looked nervous all of a sudden.

Following Fishlegs' line of sight, Hiccup, Eret, Astrid, Snotlout and the Twins saw the Fiersome family walking around the plaza…with Zenna.

"She's outside…for once…" Fishlegs murmured in surprise. "Is it just me or does she look…different?" Tuffnut tilted his head to the side before Ruffnut elbowed him in the ribs. "Of course she does, idiot, she's wearing a cloak!" Ruffnut snapped. "Why is she wearing gloves? Does she have a thing against dirt now?" Snotlout frowned, noticing the gloves Zenna was wearing. Astrid cast a worried glance at Hiccup. The one-legged Chief looked at Eret, who looked troubled. Eret wasn't really sure what to do. Approach Zenna and say hi or wait for her to come over?

Before Eret could decide, Zenna suddenly went to him and the rest of the gang. "…Hey, guys…" Zenna said quietly. Her friends looked a bit surprised and weren't really sure what to say. Finally Hiccup spoke up. "Zen! Hey, good to see you again!" the young Chief cheerfully greeted her, genuinely happy to see his surrogate sister again. As nervous as she was, Zenna couldn't hold back a smile. Then her gaze softened when her eye met Eret's amber brown eyes. "Eret…hi…" she mumbled. Eret smiled softly and replied, "Hi Zen…it's been a while…"

"Look…about everything…I'm…I just want to say that I'm sorry…for-for upsetting you…" Zenna apologized. "It's alright, Zen…It's…all in the past now…" Eret said awkwardly, not really sure what to say anymore. Then Zenna looked over her shoulder and saw her family waiting for her along with Stryka and Serpent and Serpentine. "Well, I should probably get going…But…I'll see you guys at the big feast tonight," Zenna said softly. Hiccup smiled. "Of course! We'll see you later at the Great Hall, Zen!" he said, extending his hand out. Zenna looked startled and, for a second, looked down at her hands. She wasn't really sure if her gloves could contain her magic all the time and feared that she would accidentally harm Hiccup. But…she couldn't leave him hanging…

"Yeah…see you later…" she said, taking Hiccup's offered hand in her gloved one and shook it. "Okay?" Hiccup asked, smiling. "…Okay…" Zenna said, quickly letting go of Hiccup's hand, and went back to her family.

Hiccup looked at Eret who shrugged. "Okay…that was kind of awkward…" Astrid remarked. Hiccup merely sighed and shook his head. Next to the awkward talks he used to have with his Dad, that brief conversation with Zenna was the second most awkward talk he'd ever had. He and Eret could only hope that they'll all be able to talk with her better tonight at the Great Hall…

* * *

"You were doing great, love. Your powers weren't going out of control. Your father and I are sure that everything will be alright," Henna reassured her daughter as they walked away from the other Riders. Zenna could only look down at the ground, lost in thought.

* * *

**Feel free to give me your most well-detailed reviews. Those are my personal favorites :)**


	10. 9: The Secret Revealed

**Another revised chapter. Enjoy!**

**NOTE: I DO NOT OWN HTTYD**

* * *

**Chapter Nine: The Secret Revealed**

That night was filled with food, drink, fun and dancing. A band of musicians played lively music as the people danced and enjoyed the feast.

Alvin and Savage were laughing uproariously as Gobber told them jokes while Mildew was just grazing at the buffet, commenting on the cabbages while Fungus ate whatever greens he could find around the floor. The Dragon Riders were also having fun with their dragons. The Twins were having a drinking contest, a crowd composing of Bucket, Mulch, Eret's crew and some other men in the village cheering for their favorite Twin. Fishlegs was reading a few stories to El and some of the village children, Meatlug crooning happily as the kids played with her. Snotlout was cheering Ruffnut on as she downed cup after cup of ale and Hiccup was enjoying a quiet chat with Astrid while the two of them ate some fruit harvested that morning.

Eret, on the other hand, was looking for Zenna in the crowd. He pushed his way through the crowd, politely saying, "Excuse me. Pardon. One side, coming through, sorry!" while looking this way and that to hopefully catch a glimpse of a lady with one breathtakingly beautiful violet eye.

Finally Eret spotted her quietly chatting with her parents. El was playing with Stryka and Serpent and Serpentine when he spotted the former dragon trapper. "Uncka Eret!" the little boy squealed, running over to Eret and jumping into his arms. Eret smiled as the toddler giggled. "Hey there, little warrior," he chuckled, ruffling El's curly black hair. Zenna looked up from the conversation she was having with her Mom and Dad and saw Eret playing with her baby brother.

Then Eret, hesitating slightly, walked on over to her while holding El in his arms. "Hey…" he greeted her carefully. "Hey…" Zenna replied curtly as El smiled. "Zennwa, Eret wants to talk wid you," El cooed as Eret put him down. "Does he?" Zenna raised an eyebrow at Eret, smiling slightly. Henna and Edgar knew that this was the perfect opportunity to let their daughter and her ex-boyfriend finally have some alone time and quickly left with El to another part of the Great Hall.

Seeing that there was no way out of her parents' wishes for her to interact with other people again, Zenna decided to talk. "Well, then, what do you wanna talk about?" she asked, fiddling with her cloak. Eret wasn't really sure how to start a conversation and just looked at Zenna's new appearance. "The…um…well…the cloak kind of suits you…" he mumbled awkwardly. '_Odin above, I can't believe I'm having a hard time talking to __Zenna__. Zenna, of all people!_' Eret inwardly cursed himself for his poor communication skills. Zenna wasn't quite expecting the former dragon trapper to compliment her on her way of hiding herself and blushed a bit. '_Gods, she's so cute when she blushes…_' Eret found himself thinking as Zenna replied, "Thank you…" a bit stiffly.

Eret realized that this kind of conversation, dodging the issue and pretending to make small talk, was going nowhere and decided to be honest. "Look, Zenna, I…I don't know if we'll ever…If we'll ever have what we had back then…But…I want you to know that…_I'll always be here for you no matter what._ If…if you ever need someone…I'm here…And so are Hiccup and the others…We're here for you no matter what and…and I-I know we might not ever…have the same relationship we had back then but…I-I hope we can, you know, still be friends…if that's what you want us to just be…" he said at last, stuttering slightly as he got the words out, and looked at Zenna for any signs of a reaction.

Zenna looked slightly surprised. She honestly didn't expect anything like that. And her heart ached with sadness as she realized that, after all she had put him through, Eret still cared about her. Oh, how badly she wanted to tell him the reason why she shut him out, to let things go back to the way they were before, and be with her beloved again. But Zenna knew that it was hopeless. There was no way she and Eret could go back into a relationship for as long as her powers were still out of control. It looked like she was going to have to be a bit harsher now.

"It's nice for me to know that you're still concerned about me, Eret…But we can't," she said, her face neutral. Eret's face showed complete confusion as he stuttered, "B-but, you mean we can't even be friends? Why?" only for Zenna to snap at him, "It just _can't_, Eret! It won't work out. Now just leave me alone!"

Zenna felt her Elementals flare up and a faint glow emanated from her gloves! Quickly she calmed herself down and looked at Eret. '_Holy Shields, I'm becoming a monster!_' she thought guiltily once she saw Eret's crestfallen expression. Eret looked at Zenna, speechless. When did Zenna become so mean? He had just spoken from his heart, expressed his true feelings towards her, and she was pushing him away? That's when Eret realized that things would never be the same between him and the Dragon Doctor. No matter how much he wanted things to go back to the way it was before, Eret knew that something had made Zenna change and there was nothing he could do about it.

Finally, after a minute of silence, Eret managed to say, "…Say what you will, Zen…I'll _always _love you forever. But if you want me to leave…okay, I will…if that'll make you happy…" before turning around and walking away. "Eret, I'm so sorry…" Zenna whispered to herself, fighting back tears.

Eret felt tears well up in his eyes and blinked them back. There was a great festival going on and he shouldn't be crying! But Eret felt empty and he couldn't find it in himself to stay cheerful. And there were so many people that all the noise and merrymaking was giving him a headache. He needed to get out of the Great Hall. He needed time to clear his head.

But before Eret could try to get outside, Mildew grumpily shoved a girl off with his staff! "Ack!" the girl squeaked, tumbling backwards and would have fallen down if Eret hadn't caught her. "Thora!" the former dragon trapper said in surprise once he recognized the girl. "Eret…" Thora sighed with relief, straightening up and brushing her hands against her dress. Eret had to admit that she looked rather nice. Thora had forgone her Berserker outfit and was wearing a semi-formal dress and had braided her hair up rather nicely. "Uh…wow…you look…you look great…" Eret mumbled a compliment. Thora smiled at him warmly. "Thank you," she said, curtsying. Then she noticed that Eret had tears in his eyes. "Hey…are you okay…?" she asked worriedly, reaching out to touch his face.

Quickly Eret shrugged her off and laughed a bit. "What, me? Yeah, I-I'm fine. There's just dust in my eyes…" he said quickly, rubbing his eyes. Thora tilted her head to the side, confused. What was going on? "I just…I just need to go outside…It's a bit too noisy here for my liking," Eret said quietly. "Oh, well, do you mind if I join you? I'm not too fond of loud parties myself…" Thora offered, fiddling with her braid. Eret looked a bit unsure. He barely knew the woman and the last thing he wanted to happen tonight was someone seeing him with another lady and starting a whole new rumor about him. But Thora looked like a nice person and she sounded sincere. "I don't see why not," he shrugged at last. Thora smiled and she and Eret snuck out of the Great Hall.

* * *

What Eret didn't know was that Hiccup had seen his conversation with Zenna earlier and, now, the young Chief was making his way over to Zenna. The one-eyed Dragon Doctor was sneakily helping herself to some chocolate when Hiccup came to her side. "Hey, Zen…Can we…talk…?" Hiccup asked carefully so as not to frighten his one-eyed surrogate sister. Zenna was just about to wolf down a large piece of sweet chocolate when Hiccup's voice made her turn around abruptly. "Oh, Hicc! Hey…I didn't see you there…" she mumbled, hiding the chocolate behind her back. Hiccup slightly chuckled upon seeing that Zenna was still a chocoholic and gave her permission to enjoy the dessert. Zenna offered Hiccup half of the chocolate and, for a while, it was as if nothing had come between the two bonded siblings. They savored the sweet treat and laughed as they watched the Twins stumble about in a drunken daze.

Then Hiccup's face became solemn and he faced Zenna. "Zen, how long are you going to keep doing this to Eret? I saw you two talking earlier. When you told him to leave you alone, Eret…Eret was really hurt…I'm not saying that you try to rekindle the relationship you had with him back then, of course. But…it'd make me happy, and Eret for sure, if…you two…well, at least become friends again…" he said softly. Zenna's previously cheerful face turned melancholic and she sighed, pulling her cloak close to her. "Hiccup, it's complicated…You probably wouldn't understand if I told you…but I don't think I can be around Eret anymore. I just…I just want to keep him from getting hurt…" she said quietly.

Hiccup cocked his head to the side in confusion. "And I'm guessing that you won't tell me the reason why again?" he asked knowingly. "Well we all need to have our secrets, Chief. Kind of like how you and the other Riders, oh, I don't know…_didn't tell me about the South being attacked by Berserkers two years ago and that Dagur the Deranged is Heather's older brother_," Zenna said, finally letting all her anger towards Hiccup out. Hiccup's emerald green eyes widened and his mouth dropped open in shock. "I spoke with Heather not too long ago and she told me what she told _you_ back then, Hicc…Why didn't you write to me about this the whole time while I was gone? Or tell me the day I got back? I may have left the South for Berk but it's still my home. And it was attacked by Dagur's armada two years ago. Heather lost her parents who turned out to be her _adoptive _parents and Dagur, one of our sworn enemies, is her older brother and you, Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout and the Twins didn't even tell me about it?" Zenna demanded, making sure to keep her voice down so as not to attract attention. But, make no mistake, she was dying to scream and yell at Hiccup for keeping such valuable information from her. Hiccup managed to get his voice back and stammered out, "Z-Zen, I-I'm so sorry…I was just so scared that…that if you found out, y-you'd want to go back to the South…And if…if you did, what if the Berserkers were still around and-and something happened to you? If Dagur had gotten his hands on you?! I-I…_I just wanted to protect you_…" feeling nothing but guilt and shame for keeping such a great secret from his surrogate sister.

Zenna merely shook her head and sighed. "What kind of brother keeps such a huge secret from his sister…?" she whispered before turning heel and leaving the Great Hall. Hiccup just stood there, feeling like the world's worst surrogate brother ever and the worst best friend in the whole world.

* * *

Outside the Great Hall, Zenna decided to just take a moment to breathe in the scent of newly harvest crops. The air smelled crisp and cool, and it helped her think better. As angry as she was at the guy, Hiccup had a point. She was slowly turning into something she was not and she hated it. Never had she been so harsh to Eret like that and it killed her on the inside to see the hurt in the former dragon trapper's dreamy brown eyes as he left her, like she had told him to do so.

'_Maybe I should apologize to Eret…' _Zenna thought as she went down the steps. Then she saw something that made her stop. Eret was sitting at the bottom of the steps to the Great Hall…with a woman.

Letting out a small gasp, Zenna immediately looked for a place to hide so Eret wouldn't spot her. Seeing a stack of hay bales, Zenna ducked behind while keeping her ears open.

* * *

Eret was oblivious to Zenna's presence and was engaged in a conversation with Thora who, he soon found out, was rather easy to talk to. She shared to him tales of the adventures she had had over the years, of the lands she had seen and the battles she had fought. Thora was clearly a well-rounded person because, according to her, she had mastered using a crossbow, a sword and had once led an army! But what really piqued Eret's curiosity was Thora's relationship with her boyfriend. Apparently they weren't so close.

"Wait, so your boyfriend pretended you were invisible?" Eret asked her, tilting his head to the side. "Literally, _for two years_," Thora laughed. "That's…that's terrible," Eret said, unable to say anything else. "It was a bad idea to choose him in the first place anyway. He was way too busy with so many other things to even spend time with me. That's why I broke up with him and decided to just be a wanderer. Less baggage, you know, if you don't have a boyfriend or a girlfriend," Thora said breezily. At Thora's words, Eret felt his heart ache a little. It wasn't until Thora's cheerful expression turned into one of worry and she looked at him with questioning gray eyes did Eret realize that he must have shown his sadness.

Thora gently placed her hand on Eret's shoulder, the young man slightly surprised at the gesture, and softly asked, "Eret, is there something wrong?"

The former dragon trapper sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "It's just that…I'm still trying to move on from my girlfriend breaking up with me…" he admitted, taking the ring out from under his vest. Zenna felt her heart break upon recognizing her engagement ring. Eret had kept it all along. Thora gasped and her gray eyes widened. "You were supposed to marry her!" she said, shocked. "I was…but then Zenna broke off her engagement to me and, that same day, she shut me out and…I never knew why…" Eret said softly, looking at the ring sadly. "Zenna? As in, the _Dragon Doctor _Zenna _Fiersome_? She was your fiancée?" Thora asked, amazed. "The one and only…My goddess, my princess and everything…" Eret smiled sadly and nodded.

'_He really does still love me!_' Zenna thought, clasping her hands close to her heart. Thora frowned and gently placed her hand on Eret's. "I would never shut you out, Eret…" she said sweetly. All at once, Zenna felt her Elementals flare up with jealousy. Who was this woman to think that she could steal Eret that easily?! Luckily, Eret shied away from the vagabond lady. "Look Thora…you're a really nice person, but…I'm not ready to enter another relationship…And…I doubt that I ever will…" he said carefully. Thora immediately blushed and hid her hands behind her back. "O-oh! Of course, Eret! I totally understand. Thor's hammer, I'm so sorry…I-I didn't mean to look like I'm making advances towards you…" she apologized profusely. "No, it's okay…But, let's just stay friends, alright?" Eret reassured her, smiling gently.

Thora smiled and nodded. "Shall we head back inside?" Eret suggested. "Let's," the vagabond grinned. Zenna carefully hid herself as Eret and Thora walked back into the Great Hall. While she was okay with Eret, Zenna was suspicious about Thora. She certainly didn't look like a Berkian. Then, as Thora walked past, Zenna saw that her belt had the Berserker crest on the buckle! '_Holy Shields, she's a Berserker! I have to warn Hiccup, Eret and the others!_' Zenna thought worriedly and quickly followed the two back inside.

It took Zenna a while to finally find Eret and Thora with the rest of her friends. Thora was smiling and laughing as she talked to Hiccup, Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs and the Twins and Eret looked pretty happy as well. But Zenna had a feeling that he was still sad. As for Hiccup, she could tell that he was also feeling terrible not just from her getting angry with him but from also the guilt of keeping the fall of the South a secret from her. But, right now, she had to warn the team about Thora.

Steeling her nerves, Zenna marched up to the little group. "Hello, Thora. Enjoying the festival?" she greeted the vagabond lady primly. The gang all looked at her in surprise, save for Thora who smiled widely. "Dr. Zenna Fiersome! It's an honor to meet you!" she said effusively, curtsying to the one-eyed Dragon Doctor politely. Zenna nodded tensely and turned to Eret. "Hey, Zen…" Eret said awkwardly, not really sure what to say to her. "I'll be straight to the point. Have you seen her belt buckle?" she asked plainly.

"Her belt buckle?" Hiccup repeated, confused. "It has the Berserker crest on it," Zenna said simply. That's when Astrid got a closer look at Thora's belt buckle and recognized, through the rust, the Skrill that was always on the Berserker tribe's ships. "Oh, this? It's just something that I got from my travels…" Thora informed the blonde Hofferson maiden. Zenna knew that Thora was just putting up an innocent act and glared at her. "Really? You sure you didn't get it from your wardrobe back on Berserker Island?" she asked coldly. "Zen!" Fishlegs gasped, the others also shocked at the accusation.

Thora, herself, was shocked and gaping at Zenna with her mouth open. "Zenna, what are you doing?" Eret asked, worried and also shocked. "I think Thora the Vagabond is actually Thora the _Berserker_. Admit it, you _are_, aren't you?" Zenna said accusingly. "No, Dr. Zenna. I'm…I'm not! Really, I'm not a Berserker!" Thora said, looking wounded. "Zen, what's gotten into you? We've talked with Thora and she's really nice. How could you accuse her of such a thing?" Hiccup asked in disbelief.

"It's an act! She's pulling wool all over your eyes! Don't you see that?!" Zenna willed all of her Elementals to stay suppressed as she shouted that.

The entire Great Hall quieted down and everyone turned to watch the spectacle happening in one corner of the hall.

"Zenna, what's wrong with you? Aren't you usually the type of person who gets to know somebody first before sensing that something's up?" Astrid asked her friend. "Trust me, Astrid. Thora is a Berserker. Don't you believe me? I mean, _you're _the one who suspected Heather back then!" Zenna said, starting to get irritated.

"Uh-oh! Looks like somebody's jealous!" Ruffnut cackled, still in the hold of the ale. "Another hen in the rooster house! Or was it the other way around…?" Tuffnut mumbled, still swaying unsteadily on his feet. "They drank a lot of ale…" Snotlout sighed. "I am _not _jealous! I'm worried that Thora could be secretly plotting to have the entire Berserker armada attack us while we have our guard down! Can't you guys see that she's deceiving you?!" Zenna exclaimed, feeling her powers beginning to react to her emotions.

Thora was blushing in deep shame and Eret felt the need to defend her. Looking at Zenna, Eret crossed his arms and frowned. "Zen, I don't know why you're acting jealous all of a sudden but I don't like it. Thora said it herself. She's not a Berserker. And you know that Berk has cut off all ties to the Berserker tribe. Just because Thora's not from around here, it doesn't mean you have the right to accuse her," he said firmly. Zenna looked at Eret, shocked beyond all reason, before looking at Hiccup. Hopefully her brother not by blood but by bond will believe her…

"Zen…I know that you're going through some hard stuff right now…but that doesn't mean you can accuse somebody just like that…" Hiccup sighed, looking…disappointed. Hiccup, her Chief and brother, was disappointed in her because, to him and everyone else, she was acting like a jealous brat!

Unable to say anything, Zenna merely huffed and turned her heel and began walking away.

"Dr. Zenna, if I may say something…" Thora managed to say before Zenna harshly said, "Shut up!"

The crowd gasped. Henna and Edgar looked at each other worriedly. "Okay, now I really need to talk to her…" Eret sighed. "This is too much…" Hiccup sighed as well. The two of them caught up with Zenna and grabbed both of her hands, taking her gloves off!

"Hey, give me back my gloves!" Zenna demanded. "Not until you tell us what's going on. Zen, this isn't like you. Why are you acting like this?" Hiccup asked worriedly. "You've been shutting all of us out since last month! Is there something wrong?" Eret asked as he and Hiccup made sure to keep the gloves away from Zenna. That's when Zenna looked around at all the concerned faces watching her…and realized that Hiccup and Eret were right.

She had been shutting out everyone she loved. Her parents, El, Stryka…everyone that cared about her…she was pushing them all away…

And Zenna hated it. She hated seeing Eret and everyone else worry about her. They wanted to help but…what could they do? They weren't Elementals like her…they could never help her control her powers because she was the only one who had them! That…and…she didn't want anyone to get hurt because of her curse…

"Nothing's wrong, you two…Now just leave me alone…" Zenna said at last, turning away so she could get out of the Great Hall. Hiccup and Eret, already worried and stressed, couldn't take it anymore. "What did we ever do to you?" they both asked. "Enough, you two," Zenna said, already feeling her Elementals getting ready to come out.

"Why do you shut us out?" Eret asked just as Zenna's right hand began to glow blue with her Ice.

"Why do you shut the world out?" Hiccup asked, Zenna's left hand beginning to glow reddish-orange with her Fire.

Zenna then felt her Lightning and Nature act up just as Hiccup and Eret both yelled, "_What are you so afraid of?!"_

"I said, _ENOUGH!_" Zenna screamed, whirling around to face them.

That's when the dragon came out of the bag.

Vines immediately crept up on the doors to the Great Hall and were suddenly blasted open with lightning bolts. And Fire and Ice shot out from Zenna's hands in two streaks! Hiccup and Eret quickly backed off while everyone gasped in shock.

Zenna gasped, horrified at what she just did, and looked down at her hands, seeing the small bursts of Elemental magic coming from them. She hadn't meant for that to happen! She just couldn't keep her emotions contained and they got out of control!

"Zenna…?" Eret breathed out, looking at the huge spikes of ice Zenna had shot out leading up to him in shock. How did Zenna manage to shoot out all of this ice like a Bewilderbeast? The one-eyed Fiersome lady looked at him and Hiccup fearfully. "I-I-I…" Zenna stuttered out before Mildew cried out, "I knew it! I always knew that Fiersome was a cursed child! This is serious witchcraft we're seeing here!" followed by Savage saying, "Oh, put a sock in it, Mildew!"

Hiccup stared at the flames that were nearly licking at his feet and back at Zenna in shock. Since when did Zenna have the ability to conjure up fire like a dragon? And ice? And plants? And _lightning_ as well?!

"Zen, what's going on…?" Hiccup asked carefully. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! _I'm sorry!_" Zenna cried out, her Elementals flaring up again. "Zenna, it's alright…Just calm down…Let us help you…" Eret said slowly. But when both men took a step towards her, Zenna panicked.

"No! Just stay away from me! _Stay away!_" she cried out, unintentionally firing a blast of her Nature magic at the center of the Great Hall! Vines shot up and ensnared some of the villagers by accident, Mildew included!

"Monster…_monster!_" the old man howled while Alvin tried to help some of the trapped people by cutting down the vines with his sword.

El got really scared at Mildew calling his big sister Zenna a monster and began to cry, and that made Zenna feel worse. "_I'm so sorry_…" she whispered before running out of the Great Hall in tears, fire and ice trailing in her wake. Stryka roared and quickly ran out of the Great Hall to follow her best friend, leaving Hiccup, Eret and the rest of the Dragon Riders and all of Berk standing around in shock.

* * *

Zenna didn't know what to do anymore and stopped running in the middle of the village plaza. Panting, Zenna leaned against one of the grand torches only to get the literal shock of her life as sparks suddenly flew from her hands! Travelling up the grand torch, Zenna's Lightning shot up into the sky and that was enough to cause a storm cloud to form completely over Berk! To make things worse, thorny vines began to grow everywhere!

"Holy Shields…" Zenna murmured before hearing Eret and Hiccup's shouts.

"Zenna!" "Zen, wait!"

Frantic, Zenna ran for Thor's Beach. But Hiccup, Eret, the rest of the Riders and their dragons were following her. Arriving at the shores, Zenna saw that the water had begun to freeze upon making physical contact. That's when Hiccup and Eret caught up with her on Toothless and Skullcrusher. "Zenna, wait! We can help!" Eret pleaded with her. "Okay, Zen, we don't know what's going on…but whatever…_this _is…we can figure it out…" Hiccup said slowly. Already freaking out, Zenna nervously took a step back and froze the water further. Desperate, Zenna unleashed a blast of her Nature magic that caused a bunch of thorny vines to suddenly sprout and form a wall, completely blocking the Riders from reaching her!

While Toothless and Skullcrusher roared in alarm and got their Riders out of the way, Zenna turned around and, taking a deep breath, stepped on the water's surface and began to run, freezing the water around her with every step. Strkya suddenly arrived and, upon seeing her Rider running away, roared and lifted off the ground and over the vine wall to fly after her.

"Zenna!" Hiccup and Eret both shouted, getting on Toothless and Skullcrusher, flew up to see Zenna running away with Stryka following her. That's when lightning streaked across the sky, startling Toothless and Skullcrusher into landing. "Hiccup, the ocean!" Astrid cried out in alarm. That's when Hiccup saw that the ocean was freezing over.

But that wasn't the worst.

Berk seemed to be trapped in a freak thunderstorm. Wildfires had suddenly ignited in the distant forests, thorny vines were sprouting around the village like weeds and snow was falling!

"What's going on here?!"

"There's a thunderstorm but it's snowing!"

"These vines are growing everywhere! It's like they have a mind of their own!"

"This is madness!"

"What's happening?!"

Everyone was freaking out by the time Hiccup and the Riders came back from the village. Thora spotted Eret and immediately ran over to him. "Are you hurt?" she asked worriedly. "No!" Eret shook his head, reeling from shock. "Did you know?" Thora asked, referring to Zenna's powers. Eret was silent for a few seconds. "No…" he said quietly, wondering what exactly was going on.

Mildew was visibly freaking out as he ran this way and that, cursing Zenna. "I always knew that one-eyed freak was trouble! Now look at what she's done! She's cursed this land and she must be stopped!" he declared before Savage clocked him in the head with his bone club. "Oh, thank Thor, he was giving me a headache…" Alvin said in relief as Hiccup and the other Riders arrived. "Hiccup, I know you Berkians experience odd weather but is this…normal?" the Meathead chieftain asked. "Alvin, as crazy Berk's climate is, this is anything _but _normal…" Hiccup sighed before seeing the wildfires burning in the distance.

"I want every man who can help to go to the forests and keep the fires from spreading! The rest, try to chop down as many of these vines as you can!" Hiccup shouted. Springing into action, the Berkians got organized and got to work. "We can send a message to Meathead Island for help," Savage suggested. Hiccup nodded and turned to Alvin. "You've done plenty of good for me and me tribe, Hiccup. It'd be rude not to return the favor," Alvin smiled.

Nodding, Hiccup turned to Astrid, Eret and the others. "We need to speak to Zen's family about this," he said seriously.

"We know, Chief."

Turning around, Hiccup saw Henna, Edgar and El in front of him. "We were afraid this would happen…Looks like it's time to let all of you know…" Henna sighed, cradling El in her arms. "Know about what?" Eret asked, confused, as Valka and Gobber joined them. "This is not the place to talk. Let's head back to our house…there…there is something my wife and I must show you," Edgar said gravely.

* * *

Once everyone was gathered around the den of the Fiersome family home, Edgar got busy looking for something in an old trunk. Little El was still distraught about his big sister leaving and sat in a corner, sniffling. Ruffnut was the one closest to him and gently pulled El into her lap, cuddling with him to make him feel better. Finally, Edgar took out from the trunk a thick book bound in leather with the Fiersome family crest, a black lightning bolt, on the cover.

"Our family's been long since watched over by the gods. One day, Freyja decided to give to one Fiersome daughter the gift of controlling the Elementals. With this gift, 22-year-old Eira was able to harness the powers of Fire, Ice, Lightning and Nature," Edgar explained, opening the book to the pages illustrated with the story of Eira Fiersome and the start of the family's Elemental line. "And you're saying that all members of the Fiersome family have been blessed with the gift?" Valka asked. "No. The only ones to receive the Elementals were daughters of the family, daughters who had been born with violet eyes to show the mark of the gods' favor. And they only manifested when they reached the age of 22," Henna further explained. "Just like Zenna!" Fishlegs said in realization.

"Exactly, Fishlegs. But, unfortunately, times began to change and the Fiersome daughters were being persecuted by everyone who deemed their magic to be witchcraft…" Edgar sighed and turned the pages.

Hiccup, Eret and all of the other Riders were shocked to see a painting of a young woman, who bore a striking resemblance to Zenna, being burnt at the stake.

"Eira _Zennaria_ Fiersome…the very last Elemental to be persecuted," Henna said sadly. "The resemblance is uncanny…" Astrid said in amazement. "If Zenna still had her right eye, I'd think that lass in the painting was her long-lost identical twin," Gobber said in agreement. Hiccup stared at the picture in keen interest. The lady in the painting looked exactly identical to Zenna…but she looked so sad, the painted tears running down her painted face as the flames rushed upward to consume her.

"No daughter of our family was ever born with violet eyes ever again and no daughter ever received the Elementals…" Henna said. "Until Zenna was born…" Hiccup finished her sentence. "Aye…the day Zenna was born was both the happiest, yet, the most terrifying day of our lives…The shaman in the South foretold that she would be someone very special and advised us to take good care of Zenna…As time passed, my wife and I feared that she would have trouble with her gift when the time came…We did our best and, for a while, everything seemed to work out…until…" Edgar sighed heavily.

"Edgar, Henna, you two did nothing wrong. Zenna was probably having a hard time adjusting to her powers…" Valka told them comfortingly. "You're wrong, Valka. When Zenna's powers manifested shortly after her birthday, she was a natural with them. And her powers developed at an astonishingly fast rate. But then, the accident happened…" Henna told her. That's when everyone remembered the scar on Stryka's head. "Wait, so Zenna was the reason why Stryka has the lightning bolt scar on her head?" Snotlout asked.

"It was an accident, Uncle Snotlout. I jumped too high and Zenna tried to catch me with her magic but she lost control and hit Stryka instead of me because Stryka jumped to save me…" El admitted. "Well, it's not your fault she left, El…" Ruffnut reassured him. "It was all a big misunderstanding. No one's at fault here…well, except maybe Mildew since he was ranting about Zenna being a witch," Tuffnut said, patting El's head affectionately.

That's when Eret remembered the day Zenna broke up with him and looked at her parents. "So…when she broke off the engagement…that was _after_ the accident?" he asked quietly. "Oh, Eret, it was the hardest thing we ever saw Zenna do. We tried to dissuade her but she believed you'd be safer if she shut herself out from you and everyone else…" Henna sighed. "Our daughter loves all of you…but, due to seeing her gift as a curse, Zenna thought it would be best for everyone, herself included, if she just isolated herself from everyone," Edgar added, looking weighed down by the great sadness he and his wife shared.

Everyone was silent at that point, wondering just what to do. Eret was completely shell-shocked at everything he had just learned. This whole time, he thought that _he _must have done something to make Zenna leave him only to find out that she had this wonderful gift that she viewed as a curse and that she was afraid of hurting him. But Eret was willing to risk it. Zenna's magic didn't scare him and, even if she would probably refuse to come back, he was still going to try.

Without a word, Eret got up from his chair and left. Going back to his house, Eret packed whatever supplies he needed, as well as a coat to keep warm in the cold, and got Skullcrusher to fly to the Dragon Hangar. That's when he saw Hiccup with Toothless waiting for him.

"I don't care if you say that it's dangerous, Hiccup. I'm going after Zenna and you're not stopping me," Eret said seriously. "Who says I'm stopping you?" Hiccup mounted Toothless and put on his helmet. The former dragon trapper looked at him in surprise. "It's my fault too that Zenna ran off. And she's my sister. I have to go find her," the young Chief said seriously as Valka, Gobber, Alvin, Savage and Mildew showed up with Zenna's family.

"Oh, please, tell me you're not going after that wicked sorceress to try bring her back here…" Mildew groaned and backed away in fear as both Skullcrusher and Toothless snarled at him. Hiccup and Eret both glared at the old coot. "Savage, make sure Mildew doesn't rile up the village," Hiccup instructed Alvin's right-hand man. "Got it," Savage nodded and knocked Mildew out with his club again. "Alvin," Hiccup looked at the Meathead chief seriously. "I know, get help from me island _and _no taking over Berk while you're gone," Alvin rolled his eyes and smiled wryly. "Mom, I'm leaving you and Gobber in charge. Try to keep the wildfires contained in the forest and clear as much vines from the village and make sure the people stay warm and no dragons go flying out in this lightning storm," Hiccup turned to his mother and his blacksmithing mentor.

"Be careful, son," Valka said worriedly, Gobber nodding at him.

Then Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout and the Twins came to the Dragon Hangar with their dragons. "We're coming with you two," Astrid told them. "Astrid, it's too dangerous. Besides, Eret and I are the reason why this happened," Hiccup told her. "Can't argue with that," Eret admitted. "All the more reason for us to come with you," Astrid said stubbornly before noticing that the others had brought shields.

"What? These are just…safety precautions!" Fishlegs said defensively. "Seriously, guys, _shields_? This is Zenna we're talking about!" Astrid rolled her eyes at them. "_Exactly!_" Snotlout and the Twins exclaimed before shrinking back as Eret and Hiccup both gave them death glares.

"Uncle Hiccup…Uncle Eret…" El piped up, looking at his two uncles with big pleading violet eyes. "Please bring Zenna and Stryka home…" he said pleadingly. "Don't worry, El, we will…" Eret reassured him, gently running a hand through El's soft black curls. "We'll bring her back and we'll make things right," Hiccup promised Edgar and Henna.

That's when Thora ran up to them. "Wait! Are you sure you can even trust Zenna? What if she hurts you?" she asked them worriedly. Hiccup and Eret had taken Zenna's gloves out and Skullcrusher sniffed them to get the scent. "She would _never_ hurt us," the Chief and the former dragon trapper replied. Then Skullcrusher bellowed, catching Zenna's scent. Hiccup gave Spitelout the signal to open the hatch and, then, Hiccup, Toothless, Eret, Skullcrusher, Astrid, Stormfly, Snotlout, Hookfang, Fishlegs, Meatlug, the Twins and Barf and Belch all flew out.

Looking back at Berk, Hiccup and Eret hoped that they would be able to find Zenna and soon…


	11. 10: Let It Go

**Well this took some time to edit. Thank you so much to my co-author WolfWitchHuntress1318 for her brilliant editing :)**

**NOTE: I DO NOT OWN HTTYD NOR DO I OWN THE LYRICS TO Demi Lovato's VERSION OF "Let It Go". All rights go to their respective owners. I OWN ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!**

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**Chapter Ten: Let it Go**

Zenna wandered about, lost, not sure where to go or what to do. All around her, there was nothing but telltale signs of her Elementals going out of control. Fireballs floated in the air, the ocean had frozen over, giant vines crept here and there through the ice and thundering storm clouds formed in the sky. Sighing, Zenna pulled her hood tighter over her head and trudged through the desolation. Suddenly she heard the familiar sound of a Night Fury's call.

Turning around, Zenna saw Stryka land right behind her. "Go back, girl…I'm too dangerous to be around," the one-eyed Fiersome lady said sadly. Stryka chuffed, shaking her head. "Stryka, why? Why do you still want to be around me after everything I put you through?" Zenna asked, tears welling up in her one violet eye. Stryka was silent for a minute, gathering her thoughts, before opening her mouth.

Words enunciated clear as day came out of her mouth, surprising Zenna.

"_What happened before was an accident, Zen. And I'm not afraid. Neither should you. Zenna, your powers are not a curse. They're a gift – and a very special one. It's more than just an incredible control over the elements, it's an important legacy left to you by your ancestors. You should be proud of it, not shun it. Zenna, I know you're scared but you really don't have to be…The time has come for you to stop hiding and be who you truly are. Zenna, you are more than just a Dragon Trainer, a Dragon Rider and the Dragon Doctor…you are an Elemental. Just…__**let it go**__._"

Zenna stared at Stryka, stunned speechless, before running over to Stryka and embracing her. To her surprise, her powers stayed under control and Stryka was unharmed. "Thank you, Stryka…Thank you…" the Dragon Doctor whispered gratefully, the tears running down her face. Stryka smiled toothlessly at her Rider and nuzzled her lovingly.

Zenna knew that Stryka was right. Her powers were special and it was wrong of her to suppress them. Sure, she caused a huge fiasco back on Berk…but things would probably return to normal soon the minute she embraced them. Part of her wanted to go back and apologize but Zenna held back. For all she knew, she had already been branded as a witch and would be executed just like her ancestor, Eira Zennaria…

As heartbreaking the idea of leaving all of her friends and family behind, Zenna figured that it was time for a fresh start, settle down somewhere new. And as long as she had Stryka, she wouldn't be lonely.

Yes…that's exactly what she was going to do.

Zenna then softly began to sing…

"_**Let it go…let it go…**_

_**Can't hold it back anymore…**_

_**Let it go…let it go…**_

_**Turn my back and slam the door…"**_

Stryka smiled at this, knowing that her Rider was finally beginning to feel better, and listened.

"_**The snow glows white and the fire burns bright,**_

_**Not a footprint to be seen.**_

_**A kingdom of isolation,**_

_**And it looks like I'm the queen.**_

_**The lightning strikes relentlessly,**_

_**And the vines of doubt grow inside.**_

_**Couldn't keep it in, Valhalla knows I tried.**_**"**

Singing this, Zenna reflected on all the times she had tried to keep her Elementals under lock and key. What she didn't know back then was that she had been cheating herself from reconnecting with her family heritage. But not anymore. She was going to use her powers for good, just like her ancestors had done before her, and use them to their full potential.

"_**Don't let them in, don't let them see,**_

_**Be the good girl I always have to be.**_

_**Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know.**_

_**Well, now they know!"**_

Zenna then took off the hood of her cloak, no longer wanting to hide her colored streaks, and began to show off her magic.

"_**Let it go, let it go!**_

_**Can't hold it back anymore,**_

_**Let it go, let it go!**_

_**Turn my back and slam the door,**_

_**And here I stand and here I'll stay,**_

_**Let it go, let it go!**_

_**The elements never bothered me anyway,"**_

Zenna even made her quadruplet dragons again. Cinder, Bloom, Frozt and Zap flew about in happy circles as their creator and mistress worked her magic. Fire danced across her fingertips and up into the sky in red bursts as the snow fell, glittering like tiny diamonds. Beautiful flowers sprouted from the ice, not perishing in the cold, as Zenna mounted Stryka and flew up into the lightning-streaked sky. As Stryka gracefully flew through the storm clouds, Zenna kept singing.

"_**It's funny how some distance makes everything seem small**_

_**And the fears that once controlled me, can't get to me at all**_

_**Up here in the cold and charged up air, I finally can breathe…"**_

Knowing just where to go to fully unleash her powers, Zenna had Stryka fly on over to the Isle of Zen, the special island Hiccup had named after her on her 16th birthday.

"_**I know I left a life behind but I'm too relieved to grieve!"**_

The Isle of Zen looked a little worse for the wear. Snow covered the ground and the trees with all their orchids were withered and covered in frost. But once Zenna touched down, the land began to come back to life thanks to her Nature magic.

"_**Let it go, let it go!**_

_**Can't hold it back anymore,**_

_**Let it go, let it go!**_

_**Turn my back and slam the door,**_

_**And here I stand and here I'll stay**_

_**Let it go, let it go!**_

_**The elements never bothered me anyway!"**_

Running through, Zenna let her magic flow through the island and restored it to its former beauty. Arriving at the highest point in the Isle of Zen, the Dragon Doctor decided that it was high time for her to create a place of her own. Stomping her foot on the ground, Zenna had her Ice powers form the base of her palace. And as she worked on building her paradise, Zenna kept on singing with all her heart and soul.

"_**Standing frozen**_

_**In the life I've chosen.**_

_**You won't find me.**_

_**The past is so behind me.**_

_**Swept away in the storm."**_

Zenna's palace was an architectural marvel. Its walls were made of ice and volcanic rock and covered in vines with blooming flowers. Ice chandeliers hung from the intricately carved ceilings and were glowing, powered by Zenna's Lightning. Stryka warbled in awe as towers, turrets, staircases, rooms and balconies were created. In the very center of the palace there was a space where Stryka could easily fly out and into the open air. As the sun rose, its light shone upon Zenna.

"_**Let it go, let it go…**_

_**Can't hold it back anymore…"**_

With a smile on her face, Zenna ripped off her cloak and finally unfurled her wings as well as let her hair down.

"_**Let it go, let it go!**_

_**Turn my back and slam the door**_

_**And here I stand, and here I'll stay**_

_**Let it go, let it go!**_

_**The elements never bothered me anyway…"**_

Gracefully spinning around, Zenna changed her outfit into something totally befitting of her new Elemental status. The fur on her boots turned white and sparkled like snow with vines growing and wrapping around them with fully-bloomed dark violet tulips blossoming at the top of them. More thin vines grew and wrapped and curled all up around her arms and legs in an intricate fashion, like her boots, fully-bloomed dark violet tulips blossoming on both of her wrists like corsages and a beautiful tiara, with the base of it being made up of a crown ofpurple orchids with the rest of it delicately and intricately made out of ice with tiny flames lit on the top as if they were candles, sat fitfully atop her head.

Her dress, however, was the true masterpiece.

The bodice had off-the-shoulder straps and was dark lavender in color with black and silver stitching that looked like Night Furies in flight around the top of the sweetheart chest-line of the bodice and around the bottom of it. The Fiersome family crest was emblazoned in the center of it. The skirt of her dress was somewhat wide and reached all the way down to the ground and was also split in the front so you could see her legs, and was made of four layers that flowed and somewhat ruffled, each layer was shorter than the last and was colored with designs in the same four colors as her hair streaks and the elements they and her wings represented – the first and shortest layer on top was electric violet designed with realistic-looking lightning bolts, the second layer underneath it was fiery orange red designed with flame patterns, the third layer was frost blue designed with sparkly frost patterns and snowflakes, the fourth last and longest layer on the bottom was forest green designed with patterns of vines, tree branches and flowers. Zenna smiled and spun around, watching her skirt fan out. She loved her new look but, to retain a slight connection, she decided to keep wearing the eye patch Hiccup had made for her and her lucky silver pendant.

Then she decided to test out her wings. Giving them a flap, Zenna was amazed to find herself lifting off the ground! Crooning excitedly, Stryka joined her Rider up in the air as they flew out of the palace and into the open sky above the Isle of Zen.

"_**Let it go, let it go, oh…**_

_**Let it go."**_

Hovering over the very top of her palace, Zenna looked out over her new home. Smiling she glanced at Stryka who smiled toothlessly at her. "_No mowre hidwing?_" the one-eyed dragoness asked her. Zenna smiled and nodded. "No more hiding, Stryka. No more hiding ever again. I'm an Elemental…_and proud of it_," she declared.

For the first time in what seemed like forever…Zenna Fiersome was free.

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**Read and Review. Those two things make me very happy :) **

**-GuardianDragon98**


	12. 11: Familiar Faces & Speed Stingers

**Phew! So sorry this took so long. But I hope u guys like this new chapter to HTTYD: Frozen Fire. This one is where our brave Riders will meet a familiar face.**

**NOTE: I DO NOT OWN HTTYD**

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**Chapter Eleven: Familiar Faces and Speed Stingers**

"Zenna? Zenna?!" Astrid called out, batting away embers.

"It's us, your friends!" Ruffnut shouted, making sure to stay clear from any thunderclouds.

"Your friends who didn't mean to make you curse Berk into being eaten by the elements!" Tuffnut hollered, trying to give himself an electric shock.

"We're really sorry! It's all our f-faults!" Fishlegs stuttered, shivering from the cold.

"Here, Zenna, Zenna, Zenna!" Snotlout shouted, looking down at the frozen sea.

Hiccup and Eret were the only ones not shouting and kept looking this way and that, hoping to find Zenna or Stryka. Toothless and Skullcrusher were also searching furiously, sniffing the air to keep track of the Zenna's scent along with Stryka's.

"Of course, it would have been better if she had just told us her secret…" Astrid mumbled, steering clear from the fireballs. "Astrid, you heard Zen's parents. She didn't want any of us to know because she was afraid of hurting us," Hiccup reminded her. "Yeah, but they said that Zen got her powers _after _her birthday _and _that she was already a natural in controlling them," Snotlout pointed out. Fishlegs then looked at Hiccup and Eret. "I can understand if Zenna decided to keep her powers a secret from me, Snotlout, Astrid and the Twins…but why didn't she tell _you two_?" he asked, confused.

Hiccup wasn't really sure how to answer the chubby Ingerman's question and looked at Eret hopefully for some backup. "Maybe…maybe she wanted to surprise us but never got the chance due to the accident," the former dragon trapper offered helpfully. "That _does _sound plausible…" Hiccup nodded in agreement before hearing Tuffnut shout, "Hey, isn't that Trader Johann's boat?!" and looked down.

Sure enough, Trader Johann's ship was stuck in the frozen waters and completely surrounded in ice!

"It _is _Johann's boat! Oh, good, I wanna go buy a coat. It's freezing…" Ruffnut said, shivering a little. "But we don't have anything to trade with him," Snotlout reminded her. "We'll just have to pay him back later. For now, we tell him that the situation is dire and we need provisions right away," Astrid said as they had their dragons fly down to the trader's ship. When the Riders landed, they were surprised to see Trader Johann having a loud negotiation with a familiar face.

"Come on, it's all I got. And I _need _that equipment for my research _and _the fish for my dragon," a raven black-haired woman with green eyes pleaded, holding an animal fur pelt in her hands.  
"The equipment you see here costs four times more than my entire inventory, madam. The fish I can give you and some light furs as well for the journey…Odin above, since when did Jokul decide to bring winter early with a thunderstorm…?" Trader Johann told the girl, shaking his head as he looked up at the sky.

The woman then turned around to see Hiccup and Astrid getting off Toothless and Stormfly. "_Hiccup! Astrid!_" the woman exclaimed happily. "Heather!" the couple both laughed as the other Riders joined them on deck. Heather was surprised to see her friends again and was more than glad to hug every single one of them, even Snotlout. Then when Heather looked at Eret, she was completely taken by surprise.

"Eret Son of Eret? Is that really you?" Heather asked, her eyes wide. "Hey, Heather…Long time no see," the ex-dragon trapper greeted her, looking a bit surprised himself. Heather laughed and hugged him, glad to see her old friend again. "It's been so long…How you been?" she asked softly. Eret shrugged and said, "To be honest…some things could be better…" with a slightly sad smile. Heather was quick to realize what the young man meant. "You know about Zenna's Elementals," she stated, making the gang look at her in surprise.

"Heather, you _know_?" Astrid asked her. Heather nodded before frowning at Trader Johann. "I'll explain in a moment. In the meantime, I have some words for this uptight crook here," she glared at Johann, who stood his ground. "What did you call me?" Trader Johann glared daggers at the young lady. "You heard me, you uptight, pantaloon-wearing _crook_!" Heather snapped. "Uh-oh…this is going to get ugly," Snotlout mumbled, him, Fishlegs and the Twins taking a few steps back.

Luckily Hiccup intervened before things got physical. "Johann, we need winter gear. And have you seen Zenna and or, possibly, Stryka?" the young Chief asked politely. Calming down slightly, Johann thoughtfully stroked his beard. "Sorry, Master Hiccup, haven't seen hide nor hair or scale of them…What I'd like to know is how in Midgard did this happen around Berk…" he replied. Hiccup sighed and looked to Eret. "Does Skullcrusher still have her scent?" he asked. "Yeah, but if we don't move out soon, the trail's going to go cold," Eret answered, patting Skullcrusher's head.

After explaining the situation to Trader Johann, Hiccup and the team were properly supplied with furs and coats to combat the cold. After much haggling, Heather finally decided to forego the research equipment for her alchemy research and settled for the fish.

"Here, Windshear!" she whistled. That's when the team looked up and saw the Razorwhip emerge from the clouds. Windshear easily spotted her Rider and swooped down to pick her up from the deck.

"That dragon never fails to surprise me," Snotlout whistled. Eret's eyes widened as Heather and Windshear did a few tricks in the air. "Your dragon's a Razorwhip?" he asked in awe. "Yes, Captain Obvious, she is," Heather laughed, gently petting Windshear.

Suddenly Windshear let out a warning growl to alert Heather. Pulling out her spyglass, Heather looked through it in the direction Windshear was facing and saw a pack of Speed Stingers running across the ice headed straight for Trader Johann's ship!

"Uh…guys…?" Heather called out to the other Riders down below. Hiccup and Astrid, hearing the urgency in Heather's voice, mounted their dragons and lifted off the ground. Seeing the Speed Stingers, Hiccup immediately looked to his friends. "We've got Speed Stingers headed this way! Use your dragons to blast the ice to keep the Speed Stingers from reaching the ship!" he instructed. "Bu-but Hiccup, the _entire _ocean has frozen over! Even if we cut through the ice, th-they'll just find another way around!" Fishlegs squeaked nervously. "Then we make a moat!" Astrid said, having Stormfly fire her hot-as-the-sun magnesium flame at the ice surrounding Johann's ship.

"We're gonna need a really wide moat…" Tuffnut observed. "Yeah, those Speed Stingers can jump pretty far," Ruffnut nodded. "Windshear and I'll try to buy you guys some time!" Heather said, Windshear roaring and flying out to the Speed Stingers. Snotlout didn't say anything but he felt drawn towards Heather and had Hookfang follow her and her Razorwhip. "Eret, have Skullcrusher use his Missile Strike!" Hiccup shouted. "R-right! Skullcrusher, Missile Strike!" the former dragon trapper commanded, his Rumblehorn firing his explosive fire blasts at the ice. Slowly but surely the ice began to melt away and Trader Johann was relieved to see that his boat was finally beginning to get surrounded by water instead of ice now.

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Meanwhile Heather and Snotlout were working together in keeping the Speed Stingers at bay. "Whatever you do, don't get stung by their tails!" Snotlout hollered to Heather before the leader of the Speed Stinger pack jumped up! "Oh no…" Snotlout managed to mutter before he was paralyzed by the venomous sting. Hookfang roared in alarm and fired at the Speed Stingers while Windshear roared loudly at the Speed Stingers to scare them off and used her whip-like tail to knock a few back. Then Snotlout, still paralyzed, began to slide off of the saddle! "Snotlout!" Heather yelled, getting Windshear to swoop and grab the Jorgenson before he hit the ice. "Oh Thor, what do we do now…?" Heather sighed, keeping a tight hold on Snotlout's stiff form.

With all of the other dragons working together, the moat around Trader Johann's ship was finished in a matter of minutes. "That should do it. Now we just need to scare those Speed Stingers off…" Astrid mumbled. Suddenly Toothless growled and his back began to glow blue, indicating that he was in Titan Mode. "Alright, bud…Let's show those Speed Stingers there's a new Alpha in town," Hiccup nodded as his Night Fury flew towards the pack. Toothless growled as he approached the Speed Stingers. The lead Stinger hissed and raised his deadly stinger-tipped tail up. But Toothless roared and fired a charged-up plasma blast into the air, announcing his new Alpha status. Seeing that the Night Fury before them was an Alpha, the Speed Stingers all bowed in submission. "Whoa…" Heather breathed out, amazed. Toothless exchanged a few words, mostly growls and snarls, with the lead Speed Stinger before the pack promptly left, heading in the opposite direction.

"That's showing them who's the boss, bud," Hiccup grinned. Toothless puffed his chest out, feeling mighty pleased with himself. "H-How'd he do that? His back spines suddenly started glowing and all the Speed Stingers just listened to him!" Heather exclaimed, eyes wide in awe. "That's actually _also _something that needs to be explained later, Heather. In the meantime…poor Snotlout…" Hiccup said before glancing at his paralyzed cousin. That's when Snotlout's lips moved. "Hey, you're not taking me back to Berk! I'm coming with you guys!" the Jorgenson insisted stubbornly. Heather suddenly snapped her fingers. "I've got just the thing! But we need to land first. Windshear, land on deck," she said, her Razorwhip obeying her.

Windshear landed on deck and Heather slid off her back, still holding a semi-paralyzed Snotlout. "Huh, on the bright side, it's starting to wear off quicker…" Snotlout mumbled as Heather set him upright. Rummaging through her rucksack, Heather pulled out a vial filled with a honey-colored liquid and a glass syringe. "Ow!" Snotlout yelped as Heather injected him. "Oh, don't be such a big baby," Heather chided him.

Once Snotlout was cured of his paralysis, the Riders gathered together to form a plan. "Okay…now what are we going to do here…?" Hiccup mumbled, wondering how they could get Johann and his ship to a safer place. That's when members of the Meathead Tribe arrived on dragon back. "Excuse me, Chief Hiccup! But Alvin sent us a message to help Berk! Anything that needs our assistance?" one Meathead soldier hollered while riding Groundsplitter, Alvin's Whispering Death. "Meatheads! Perfect timing!" Hiccup said, relieved.

Trader Johann waved goodbye to the Dragon Riders as he and his ship were carried to Berk. Mounting their dragons, the Riders prepared to take off when Heather asked, "Windshear and I would love to help. Can we?"

Hiccup glanced at Astrid who looked totally calm. "Hey, why not? The more; the merrier," Astrid shrugged. "Zenna's my friend too. I owe her a lot. Helping you guys find her…it's the least I could do for everything you guys have done for me," Heather said hopefully. "Welcome aboard, Heather," Hiccup smiled as the green-eyed lady got on Windshear and, with that, they were off!

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"So let me get this straight…You and Zenna took down this Drago Bludvist guy, whom Eret used to work for as a dragon trapper, a year ago. Hiccup reunited with his long-lost, long thought to be dead, mother, Stoick was killed in the Battle of the Bewilderbeast because Drago's Dark Bewilderbeast defeated Valka's and took control of all the dragons including Toothless and Stryka and they tried to kill Hiccup and Zenna. You guys used Scuttleclaw hatchlings, the only dragons that can't be controlled by the Alpha, to head back to Berk. Hiccup and Zenna got Toothless and Stryka back and they defeated Drago by using Toothless and Stryka's new Titan Mode and, by defeating Drago and his Dark Bewilderbeast, Toothless and Stryka became the new Alphas of all the dragons?" Heather asked once Snotlout had finished telling her the story.

"Yep. That about sums it up," Snotlout shrugged. "Okay, one word…_Wow_…" Heather said, still processing all the new information. "Yeah, I told you it was going to be a long story," Hiccup chuckled before noticing that the wind had picked up.

Skullcrusher suddenly stopped, growling in frustration. "Oh boy…Chief, the wind's scattered the scent!" Eret reported to Hiccup who groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. "There's a blizzard headed this way too…" Astrid said, noticing that the air had turned frigid. "What do we do?" Fishlegs asked nervously. "Freeze to death?" Ruffnut piped up. "Die in the cold?" Tuffnut added. "They both have the same outcome – _death_," Hiccup pointed out before Heather pulled out a map.

"Wait! We're close to the Dragon's Edge. We can stay there for the night and plan our next move!" Heather suggested. Hiccup perked up at the idea. "Guys, change course! We're headed to the Edge!" he shouted as the wind began to howl. "The what?" Eret asked loudly as the blizzard swept across the land. "Just follow us, Eret!" Astrid yelled as the eight of them got their dragons to change course.

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**Surprised that I added Heather, huh? I hope u guys will like this story. And keep supporting it with your reviews! **

**-GuardianDragon98**


	13. 12: Return to Dragon's Edge

**Okay, guys! I am so sorry to keep you all waiting but here it is! The new chapter of Frozen Fire. Like I said in some of my other stories, it took a while for me to make the necessary changes to some old chapters after I watched Race to the Edge. Now that Heather's been added to this story, I had to make a few changes to some of the chapters so she can fit well into the story.**

**Here are the chapters I edited. Feel free to look back at them if you want.**

**Chapter Four: The Accident**

**Chapter Six: Waiting Outside A Locked Door**

**Chapter Nine: The Secret Revealed**

**NOTE: I DO NOT OWN HTTYD**

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**Chapter Twelve: Return to Dragon's Edge**

"Dragon's Edge is just up ahead!" Astrid and Heather yelled as the blizzard began to intensify. Eret was just about to yell at the team to tell him what in Odin's name was Dragon's Edge when the island outpost the Riders had made last year came to view.

Hiccup, Astrid and Eret were the first ones to get their dragons to the clubhouse and opened the doors. The other Riders and their dragons quickly flew inside followed by the trio. With Toothless and Skullcrusher's help, Hiccup and Eret were able to shut the door before the wind blew it open.

"So…this is the Edge?" Eret breathed out, shaking snow out of his hair. "Our home away from home. We used this place as an outpost to study new dragons last year," Hiccup nodded, catching his breath. Eret looked around the inside of the clubhouse and, after a few minutes, said, "Impressive."

"Thank you," Hiccup replied while Astrid got Stormfly to light the central fire pit. Once all the Riders had settled down in the clubhouse, Heather decided to tell them. "Zenna and her family came to my grandfather's island a month ago. Stryka had gotten struck by Zenna's Elementals and my grandfather helped her," Heather explained. "Your grandfather?" Astrid asked, curious. "Old Wrinkly. He's an alchemist who lives on a lone isle far from the South," Eret told her. Nodding, Heather sighed. "Zen looked so freaked out…I think she was afraid she'd really hurt Stryka…" she said sadly. "Not as freaked out as we were when she revealed her powers to us, I'll bet…" Fishlegs said quietly before gulping as Hiccup and Eret both glared at him. Heather then looked to her friends and asked, "Okay, what exactly happened to make Zenna run off and unintentionally plunge almost the entire Archipelago into madness?"

* * *

The Riders told her everything. How Eret had proposed to Zenna on her 22nd birthday, Zenna suddenly breaking off her engagement just six days before the wedding, how Zenna had shut them all out for the following month and, finally, her having suspicions about Thora the Vagabond.

"I think she was jealous how Thora was getting all chummy with Eret…or maybe I was a bit tipsy…" Ruffnut said, thoughtfully tapping her chin with her index finger. "I think we were _more _than tipsy, sis," Tuffnut mused. Heather looked at Eret pointedly. "You're too trusting sometimes. That's been your flaw ever since we were kids," she sighed. "I know…I tend to trust people a little too quickly. But Thora's pretty nice. Zen just didn't make the time to get to know her better," Eret said in his defense. "You just met her as well, _Eret Aidan Lothbrok_," Heather said, stating Eret's full name, with a mischievous smirk.

Hiccup, Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout and the Twins, not to mention all of the other dragons, Skullcrusher included, all stared at Eret, whose face had turned scarlet. "Your middle name is _Aidan_?" Hiccup asked, slightly surprised. "Yes…" Eret nodded, still embarrassed that his friends now knew his full name thanks to Heather. "Sounds Celtic," Astrid remarked. "That's because it is," Eret told her. "You're a Celt?" Fishlegs asked, eyes wide. "Half-Celt. From my Mum's side," Eret explained. "So…your name _isn't _Eret Son of Eret?" Tuffnut asked dumbly, making the others groan. "I just call myself that because my Da had the same first name as mine. I can't believe you didn't figure that out," Eret shook his head in disbelief. Then Ruffnut asked, "Hold up…Did Heather just say that your last name is _Lothbrok_?"

Eret nodded and the others really began to eyeball him. "You share the same last name with the legendary Viking king _Ragnar Lothbrok_. Is that just a coincidence or…?" Snotlout managed to say before Heather interrupted. "Oh, it's not just a coincidence. Eret's family is directly descended from Ragnar Lothbrok's bloodline," the green-eyed woman said casually. "Whoa…" the other Riders breathed out in awe. "Dude, you're of royal blood!" Snotlout exclaimed in amazement. "We are not worthy…We are not worthy…" Tuffnut said as he and his sister bowed. Eret slightly chuckled. "Oh, come off it, guys. I'm just one of his descendants. I'm hardly anyone special," he said, smiling. Then Eret turned to Heather and asked, "So how's Old Wrinkly and the rest of the South doing?"

Everyone became quiet at that point.

Eret could sense that his friends knew something he didn't and frowned. "Guys…what's going on?" he asked slowly. Heather nervously fiddled with the end of her braid. "Eret…the South…Two years ago…the Berserker Tribe destroyed the village…" she said. Eret's eyes widened in horror before looking at Hiccup and the other Riders in shock. "And their leader…was my older brother…" Heather sighed. Now Eret was even more shocked. "But Heather you…you don't have a brother," he said haltingly. "She does, Eret. Dagur the Deranged – one of Berk's mortal enemies. We drove him off a year ago and haven't seen him ever since," Hiccup informed him. Eret looked at him and asked, "Does Zenna know about this?" making Hiccup look down at the ground in shame.

Eret then realized why Zenna looked so angry at Hiccup earlier and why she was so quick to accuse Thora of being a Berserker. He had been keeping a secret from Zenna, a secret regarding their old home.

As angry as he was at the Chief, Eret knew that Zenna was more important right now. He will demand answers from Hiccup later. So, as calmly as he could, Eret asked Hiccup, "I understand if you lot wouldn't tell me…But why didn't any of you at least tell _Zenna_?"

Even though Eret looked calm, the Riders could tell that he was upset and looked guilty. "Dagur once tried to take Zenna away from us…" Astrid began quietly. "He was relentless in pursuing her and making her his bride. He-he nearly succeeded if Hiccup hadn't gone to rescue her!" Fishlegs whimpered. "We just couldn't take any chances," Tuffnut told Eret. "Yeah, if she found out that Dagur had destroyed her old home…" Ruffnut began. "She would have gone looking for him to take vengeance and we could have lost her for good," Snotlout finished.

Eret listened to his friends before glancing at Heather. "It's all true, Eret…What they said…and what I said as well…I lost my adoptive parents during the day my brother attacked our old home…I wanted to kill him…but after finding out that he was my brother…I just…I just couldn't…" Heather sighed. Eret nodded in understanding before locking eyes with Hiccup. He could see unsaid apologies in the Chief's eyes and, finally, he sighed. Too much had happened today and he needed to rest…

"I'm going to sleep," Eret said flatly before leaving the group and heading upstairs to one of the lofts, Skullcrusher following him.

* * *

Hiccup, Astrid, Heather, Snotlout, Fishlegs and the Twins silently watched Eret and Skullcrusher leave. Even the other dragons had gone silent. "Whoa…For a second there, I thought he was gonna get mad…" Tuffnut said, breaking the silence. "He looked mad to me…" Ruffnut remarked. Hiccup sighed and held his head in his hands. Something told him that Eret was gonna really give it to him in the morning…

Toothless warbled in concern and nudged Hiccup with his nose, cooing softly. "What now?" Heather asked as Windshear curled up around her. Hiccup then looked at his friends and shrugged. "You know…it's been a long day. I guess we should follow Eret's lead and get some sleep…" he sighed. "Bu-But I thought we were going to plan our next move?" Fishlegs asked him. "Tomorrow. Once we've managed to come up with ideas on where Zenna and Stryka had gone, we'll head out," Hiccup told him. The other Riders thought that sleep was a pretty good idea and got comfortable on their own spots, their dragons curling up around them.

Then, to everyone's surprise, Heather pulled out a lute and began to strum it and sing, "_Dragons are better than people. Windshear, don't you think that's true?_" Heather sang before putting up a fake voice in order to pretend that her dragon was talking. "_Yeah, people will beat you and curse you and cheat you. Every one of them is bad except you…_" she sang, Windshear doing some funny head gestures to join in on the fun. "Aw, thanks, girl," Heather smiled at her Razorwhip. Then Snotlout, in the spirit of fun, sang, "_But people smell better than dragons. Hookfang, don't you think I'm right?_" earning an eye roll and a tail swat from his Monstrous Nightmare. "_That's once again true for all except you_," Heather smiled. "You got me…_Let's call it a night_," Snotlout sang, wincing a little. "_Good night_…" Heather sang. "_Don't let the frostbite bite…_" Snotlout finished the song.

Everyone else pretty much stared at the two.

"Huh…that was a pretty nice duet," Heather smiled. "Yeah…kind of helped lighten up the mood," Snotlout shrugged. "I guess I was a bit too quick to judge you, Snotlout. You're not that bad," Heather smiled, making the Jorgenson blush. "Th-thanks…Yo-you're pretty cool too, Heather…" he mumbled. Ruffnut, Tuffnut and Astrid could only look at each other with wide eyes while Fishlegs did a little victory dance, realizing that Snotlout was beginning to fall for Heather and that he could finally have a chance with Ruffnut!

Then the dragons yawned, signaling their Riders that it was time for bed.

Toothless yawned as Hiccup laid down beside him. They both decided to just sleep on the lower level of the clubhouse tonight. Hiccup knew that Eret had taken the upper loft and he needed his space after what just happened. '_I really should have told Zen…Maybe this whole mess is my fault…_' Hiccup thought, closing his eyes, and fell asleep.

* * *

Astrid and Stormfly were both sleeping peacefully, Snotlout was snoring and Hookfang had one wing over his Rider's mouth, the Twins had opted to sleep hanging upside down on the wooden beams, Barf and Belch sleeping right underneath them, Fishlegs was sleeping and Meatlug was licking his feet in her sleep, Heather and Windshear were huddled close together and Hiccup and Toothless were also sleeping. Upstairs, Eret wasn't sleeping too well. Skullcrusher was already fast asleep but his Rider was restlessly tossing and turning in his sleep, his face scrunched up in pain. "No…no…Zen, don't go…" Eret muttered in his sleep, trapped in his nightmare.

* * *

'_He was freezing._

_All around him were walls of ice and snow blanketed the ground as snowflakes danced about in the wind. Shivering, Eret caught sight of Zenna, her back facing him, and relief flooded his veins. _"Zenna! You're okay!" _he called out and began to run towards her. Then Zenna turned around and Eret froze in his tracks._

_Zenna's face showed no emotion and her one violet eye was now an icy blue color, amplifying the chilling stare she gave him._

"You should have stayed away from me, Eret…" _the one-eyed Dragon Doctor said coldly as a ball of her Ice magic formed in her hands. Eret knew that his instincts were practically screaming at him to run but he couldn't. His legs wouldn't move and his fear was keeping him glued to where he was standing._

"Zenna, please…no…" _the former dragon trapper choked out before Zenna aimed her Ice at him and fired._

_The Ice struck him right in the heart._

_Eret let out a yelp as he staggered, his chest stinging from the icy cold from the blast. That's when he saw that his body was beginning to freeze into solid ice! To make things worse, Zenna turned around and started walking away._

"Zen, help! Zenna, don't go! Please…_Zenna_!" _Eret screamed before he froze into solid ice…_'

* * *

Eret woke up with a gasp, his forehead drenched in cold sweat. Taking deep breaths to calm down, Eret looked down at his hands and saw they hadn't frozen and realized that he just had a nightmare. Glancing at Skullcrusher, who was still asleep, Eret thought that it'd be a good idea for him to go for a walk outside to clear his head. He was pretty sure that the blizzard had stopped since he couldn't hear the wind anymore.

Carefully making his way downstairs, Eret tiptoed towards the door and, as carefully as he could, opened it.

'_CREEEAAAAK!_'

Eret cursed himself for his bad luck when he saw Hiccup stir in his sleep. But, luckily, the one-legged Chief didn't wake up. Breathing out a sigh of relief, Eret snuck outside. Dragon's Edge was now covered in snow and icicles dangled from the trees and huts.

'_Huh…I never really noticed how snow and ice could look so beautiful…_' Eret thought as he wandered around the place. He could tell that the Riders had really made this place their own from the huts. And he saw the occasional dragon fly in every now and then. Coming over to a cliff, Eret sat down on the ground and looked up at the moon and stars. Not many people knew about it, but one of Eret's hobbies was stargazing. He and Zenna used to do it all the time back in…

'_The South…My old home…gone and I never even knew…_' Eret thought sadly, while praying to the gods that Zenna was safe…wherever she was.

* * *

'_He was burning._

_Hiccup cautiously backed away as he was surrounded by flames. He yelped when he felt his metal leg sizzle and looked down at the ground, which was more magma than ground, and carefully kept his left leg up._

_Then he saw Zenna looking at him. But to Hiccup's worry, her face was hardened by an angry scowl and her one violet eye had turned orange-red, the same color as the flames surrounding him._

"How does it feel, Hiccup? It hurts, doesn't it? Makes you understand how _I _feel after you've betrayed me!" _the young Fiersome lady snapped at him as a ball of her Fire magic began to form in her hands! _"Zen, I'm so sorry! I-I was just trying to protect you…Aaaahh!" _Hiccup pleaded then screamed as Zenna's Fire magic struck him in the chest!_

_Wincing in pain, Hiccup could only look into Zenna's eye and silently beg for forgiveness. But Zenna's face didn't change…even as she watched her one-eyed surrogate brother be consumed by the burning flames coming from within him._

"Zenna, I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry! _Zenna_!" _Hiccup screamed before his whole body burst into flames…_'

* * *

Hiccup bolted upright, breathing hard. Toothless was still asleep, much to his relief, and Hiccup managed to calm down and take deep breaths. Once he had relaxed, Hiccup noticed that the door to the clubhouse was slightly open. Curious, Hiccup stood up and carefully made his way to the door and, after a minute of thinking, decided to go outside.

It was good to be back at Dragon's Edge, whatever the reason. Hiccup smiled a bit, remembering the fun times he and his friends had together back then, discovering new lands, new dragons and always trying to outdo each other in beating the dome…good times.

Walking around Hiccup noticed that, aside from the snow and ice, small fireballs floated about the sky and made quite a sight. '_I've spent six years seeing fire and I never thought it could be so…mesmerizing…_' the young Chief thought before hearing the familiar flapping of Night Terror wings…as well as a certain ex-trapper's yelps.

"Shoo! Shoo! Leave me be!"

Eret came running out of the brush, pursued by Smidvarg and a couple of Night Terrors. Apparently the white Night Terror had thought of Eret to be an intruder and had rallied some of his comrades to chase him off Dragon's Edge. Then Smidvarg saw Hiccup and happily chirped, flying over to him and nuzzling the young man. "Hey there, Smidvarg. I haven't seen you in a while. How you doing?" Hiccup chuckled, petting the Alpha Night Terror. Smidvarg happily chirped before looking at his fellow Night Terrors who were still harassing Eret, the former dragon trapper trying to swat the little buggers away from him.

"Alright, guys, leave him alone. He's a friend," Hiccup called out and the Night Terrors left for the trees. Eret breathed out a sigh of relief before looking at Smidvarg warily. "Eret, Smidvarg. Smidvarg, Eret," Hiccup made the introductions. Eret raised an eyebrow upon learning the dragon's name. "Tuffnut," Hiccup said simply. "Oh…" the former dragon trapper said catching on and carefully stroked Smidvarg . "Hi…" Eret said softly to the Night Terror who purred. "Bye…" Eret said as the Alpha Night Terror flew away to join with the other Night Terrors.

Then, turning to Hiccup, Eret gave him an expectant look. "I suppose you're waiting for an apology?" the young Chief asked him. "And don't forget an explanation," Eret told him, placing one hand on his hip. Hiccup sheepishly rubbed the back of neck and sighed. "I'm sorry the gang and I never told you and Zen about the South. We…we just didn't know how you two would react, especially Zenna…You know what she's like, right? When she sets out to do something…" Hiccup managed to say before he and Eret both said, "Nothing can stop her."

"Zenna _does _seem to have a one-track mind sometimes…It's both a good thing and a bad thing…I worry about her a lot," Eret admitted, shrugging. "Yeah, me too…" Hiccup nodded before handing Eret Inferno.

"Go ahead. Singe my eyebrows off if you want to. I deserve it for keeping such a huge secret like this," Hiccup said, noticing Eret's confused look. Holding Inferno carefully, Eret looked at Hiccup and saw that he really was remorseful. After a few seconds, he handed Inferno back to Hiccup. "I'm fairly sure that even a small thing like singeing the Chief's eyebrows off is still punishable by either death or exile. I'd rather not risk it," he said with a small smile. Hiccup smiled with relief, seeing that Eret had forgiven him.

"So what're you doing out here, Eret?" Hiccup raised an eyebrow. The former dragon trapper's smile faded and he looked down on the ground. "Nightmare…" he said quietly. Hiccup's green eyes widened before sighing. "Let me guess. Zenna struck you in the heart with her magic?" he asked. Eret looked up at him in surprise. "That's the reason why I'm out too," Hiccup told him.

A few minutes of silence passed between the two until Eret spoke up. "She'd never do that, right? Attack us intentionally?" the ex-trapper asked quietly. Hiccup was a bit stunned at the sudden question but managed to reply, "I don't think Zenna could ever do that. And, even if she will attack, it'll be out of self-defense. She'd never hurt anyone intentionally unless they were bad."

That's when Hiccup saw Eret take the chain that had Zenna's engagement ring from under his shirt.

Noticing that the Chief was looking at the ring, Eret sadly smiled. "I know. It's stupid for me to keep holding onto this…but, well, I sometimes wish that I could still have a chance with her. I know it sounds ridiculous but a man can hope…" he sighed. Hiccup patted Eret on the back and said, "When we manage to convince Zenna to come back with us, Eret…I think there's still hope for you two."

Eret gave Hiccup a grateful smile before turning back to the clubhouse. "We should probably get going before our dragons wake up and turn the Edge upside-down looking for us," he suggested. "Agreed," Hiccup nodded and they headed back.

* * *

**Yeah, I paired Heather with Snotlout here even if, in Race to the Edge, she told Astrid that she wasn't into the macho Vikings.**

**As for Eret's full name, got inspiration from History's "Vikings" and my theory that Eret is Celtic, well, half-Celtic from his mother's side.**

**The dreams…I believe I just gave you guys a massive spoiler of things to come.**

**Once again, so sorry it took so long for this!**

**-GuardianDragon98**


	14. 13: To the Isle of Zen

**Okay, critical week here! I start college on August 10 so I've been working overtime to finish Riders and Defenders as well as juggling preparing for college. Thanks for all who have been patient for this new update for Frozen Fire. I promise that, even when I'm already taking classes, I'll find time to continue this story.**

**NOTE: I DO NOT OWN HTTYD**

* * *

**Chapter 13: To the Isle of Zen**

The next morning, the team had gathered around Hiccup's map to come up with a plan on how to bring Zenna and Stryka back. To do that, they first had to pinpoint the runaway duo's location.

"Alright, guys, think. If you were Zen and needed time alone, where would you go?" Hiccup asked his friends. "The Cove?" the Twins asked. "She and Stryka already left Berk," Eret pointed out. "Dragon Island?" Fishlegs suggested. "Maybe…but I think we passed by it yesterday and it wasn't doing as well as Berk. Zen's magic had also affected the area," Astrid said. "The Dragon Sanctuary, then?" Snotlout piped up. "Maybe…Gods, if Zenna went to Greece…" Hiccup mumbled, already running out of ideas, before Heather pointed at an island on the map. "What about this one? The Isle of Zen?" the green-eyed girl asked.

Everyone perked up at Heather's suggestion.

"Of course! Her own island! Heather, you are a genius!" Hiccup exclaimed, running out to the stables. "I am?" Heather repeated, a little surprised. "You are," Snotlout smiled up at her, making Heather blush. "You think so?" Heather asked, blushing as well. Nodding, Snotlout took Heather's hand in his and they followed Hiccup to the stables, hand-in-hand. Eret had a completely shocked look on his face when he turned from watching the two leave to face Astrid, Fishlegs and the Twins. "Did I miss something last night?" he asked them. "Oh, you missed a lot, Eret," Astrid smiled. Fishlegs was already chanting, "Yes, Ruff's mine! Ruff's mine!" under his breath while doing a little jig and the Twins merely began placing bets on Snotlout and Heather. "Bet you three pieces of silver they'll start dating next week!" Tuffnut whispered. "I'll bet double on that they'll kiss after 24 hours!" Ruffnut snickered as she and her brother did a spit-handshake and banged helmets.

"Come on, guys. We're burning daylight," Eret rolled his eyes at his friends and they went to the stables to get their dragons. Once they were all saddled up, Hiccup and Toothless decided to take point.

"Next stop, the Isle of Zen!"

* * *

Meanwhile, back on Berk…

"Fanghook, no! You can't go out flying today! There's a thunderstorm _and _snowstorm brewing!" Gustav Larson told his Monstrous Nightmare sternly. Then the young lad spied a pile of wood nearby. Bucket and Mulch were currently arguing on which side of the wood was drier and provided more fire. "No, bark side up!" Mulch said, placing a piece of wood on the pile with the bark showing. "But down is drier, Mulch!" Bucket protested, flipping the wood over. Hearing his sister's complaints about the cold, Gustav snuck over to the wood pile and grabbed a few pieces. "Mom, I got wood!" the teen cried out, racing home, before being stopped by Edgar and Henna.

"Gustav, you need not steal. I want you to put that wood back where you found it this instant," Edgar told the boy sternly. "Yes, Mr. Fiersome…" Gustav sighed, dragging the wood back to Bucket and Mulch's pile.

El sneezed and shivered, Henna bundling him up in his winter coat. "Mama, I mwiss Zennwa…" the one-year-old boy cooed, looking sad. "I know, sweetheart…Papa and I miss her too…" Henna sighed before Thora came forward with a cloak. "Best to stay warm, Mrs. Fiersome…" the young woman said, handing her the cloak. "You're very kind, Thora…Thank you…" Henna said before a bolt of lightning struck the Great Hall!

"Fire brigade!" Valka shouted, already on Cloudjumper and putting out the fire, some Vikings and their dragons rushing to help her put out the fire. Alvin was also giving orders to his men, sending some out into the forest to help the Berkians in keeping the forest fires at bay and ordering the rest to clear away the vines, helping as well. Trader Johann, himself, was not idle and helped Gobber in distributing cloaks and bowls of warm soup to the weary, freezing people of Berk.

The only one who wasn't doing anything to help was Mildew who, in order to be kept from cursing Zenna and her family, had been gagged by Savage who was tasked to keep an eye on him.

"That Zenna is a witch! A wicked sorceress…!" Mildew shouted once he managed to get the gag out of his mouth before Savage knocked him out again. '_Odin, I really do hope Hiccup and the others can get Zenna to come back and bring a stop to all this madness…_' Savage thought, looking up at the skies and hoping that Hiccup and the Riders were doing well on their end of the mission.

* * *

The Riders were mostly silent throughout the whole flight. All of them were thinking about different things but they all had one simultaneous thought, something they all knew they were all thinking about.

When they found Zenna…what then? How would they convince her to come back? Would she even want to?

Then seeing that Heather was flying alongside him and Astrid, and Eret was out of earshot, Hiccup flew Toothless closer to Windshear. "Hey, Heather, I don't know if this is a good time but…what was it like growing up in the South with Eret and Zenna?" he asked the green-eyed girl. Heather smiled and glanced at Eret. "It was pretty fun, actually. I didn't hang out with them all the time but, whenever I did, we had a really good time. A lot of the girls back in the South…they really liked Eret a lot. Even I had a bit of a crush on him," Heather replied.

"You had a crush on Eret? When did that stop?" Astrid asked, mildly surprised. Heather smiled and, speaking in hushed tones, began to tell her and Hiccup the story…

_(Flashback Starts)_

"Thanks for walking me home, Eret," _Seven-year-old Heather smiled up at twelve-year-old Eret as they walked through the village. _"Anytime, Heather," _Eret smiled back at her. Heather giggled and shyly covered her blushing face with her hands. She, like all the other young girls, had a crush on Eret. There was just something about his accent, chivalry and strength that just drove all the girls in the ten to twelve-year-old age group wild. There was no mistaking the fact that Eret, Son of Eret, was really, really, REALLY cute._

_Then, as they rounded a corner, Heather and Eret bumped into Zenna. The seven-year-old Fiersome girl briefly looked up before dropping her gaze to the ground. But, in the split second, Eret and Heather were able to see the bruises on Zenna's face as well as her black eye! _"Oh, my gods! Zen, what happened to you?!" _Heather exclaimed in alarm. _"I don't wanna talk about it…" _Zenna muttered before limping away. Eret quickly went after her, gently making Zenna turn around so she could face him. _"Leave me alone, Eret…I don't feel like talking…It hurts to even talk…" _Zenna said quietly, slightly wincing as her whole body throbbed. Eret looked at her for a second before looking at Heather. _

"Heather, can you go to Lady Ingrid's house and tell her we have a patient for her?" _the 12-year-old boy requested urgently. Heather nodded and began to run in the direction of the healer's hut. Then she briefly turned around and saw Eret gently pick Zenna up. Heather slightly smiled upon seeing Zenna squirm to try to get Eret to put her down but Eret firmly shook his head._

"I don't need help. I can get to the healer myself," _Zenna said stubbornly and, finally, Eret let her get back on the ground. But, when she took one step, Zenna stumbled and fell to her knees. _"Owww…" _the seven-year-old girl whimpered. Eret sighed and helped her up. _"Come on, Zen. I'll carry you to Ingrid's," _he told her softly. Zenna sighed in frustration but let Eret carry her to the healer, where Heather had already gone ahead._

_Lady Ingrid, the South's best healer, tended to Zenna's wounds while Eret and Heather watched. _"Dear child, what on earth caused this?" _Lady Ingrid asked Zenna gently as she dabbed salve on Zenna's cuts and scrapes. Zenna refused to answer and just looked down at her hands in her lap. Eret went over to her and sat next to Zenna. _"Zen, come on…tell us what happened," _the twelve-year-old boy asked softly. Heather could see the way Eret knit his eyebrows together and the way his eyes softened and knew that Eret was really worried about Zenna. After a few minutes of just staring at her hands, Zenna looked up._

"I got into a fight. I fought back…I didn't win and I got beat up…" _Zenna said quietly. Eret sucked in his breath and Heather could see him clench his fists in barely contained rage. Lady Ingrid was calmer and gently patted Zenna's head. _"Learn when to use violence and when _not _to use violence, Zenna. And avoid getting into fights, alright?" _she advised the little girl gently. _"Yes, Ms. Ingrid…" _Zenna mumbled. _"Eret, Heather, keep her comfortable. I need to go get more herbs from the botanist," _Ingrid told the other two children. _"Yes, Ms. Ingrid," _Eret and Heather both said._

_Once Ingrid left, Heather went over to Zenna. _"Who beat you up, Zen? We'll tell Elias and he can beat them to a pulp," _she said seriously. _"I don't wanna talk about it, Heather…" _Zenna shook her head before wincing as her black eye throbbed. Eret quickly got an ice pack and gently placed it against her black eye. _"Take it easy, Zenna…" _he said softly. Zenna nodded before sighing, _"It was Brenda. She and her friends ganged up on me…"

_Heather gulped, knowing that Brenda was one of the older girls in class and she had a gang of mean girls that followed her every whim. Brenda was often picking on her and Zenna, pulling on her braid and always keeping Zenna's notes out of her reach because she was a lot shorter compared to all the other girls. Heather always made sure to stay away from Brenda and her gang. Zenna, on the other hand, had no fear and would always stand up for her and the other girls being bullied by Brenda. But this was the first time Zenna had ever tried to pick a fight and look where it got her._

"Why did Brenda and her friends gang up on you?" _Eret asked, wanting to find out what was going on. Zenna blushed and refused to meet his gaze. Sighing, Eret gently tilted her head up so she could look at him. _"Come on, Zen…Please tell me…" _Eret pleaded, his amber brown eyes soft and gentle. Finally Zenna confessed. _"Brenda was jealous of me spending a lot of time with you. And she wants to be your date at the upcoming festival next week. She said that an immature baby like me shouldn't hang out with you…" _she admitted quietly. Heather scowled. _"That's stupid. And if anyone's an immature baby, it's Brenda!" _she said angrily. Eret calmed her down and asked, _"Heather, can you go see if Lady Ingrid's back?"

_Heather nodded and left the room. But she stayed nearby and peered through the door and saw Eret gently brush Zenna's bangs out of her eyes. _"Zenna, compared to all the people in this village, you're one of the most mature people I've ever met. Why would you think I wouldn't want to hang out with you?" _he asked softly. Zenna shrugged. _"Well…you're older and bigger than me. You should be hanging out with kids your age instead of little girls like me…"_ she said timidly. Eret laughed and gently petted Zenna's head. _"If you saw me with kids my age, Zen, you'd think of me as an adult. I'm taller than most of them and I always feel out of place," _he told her. Zenna looked at him with wide eyes. _"_You _feel _out of place_?" _she asked incredulously. _"All the time. But when I'm around you…I don't…" _Eret smiled at her. _

_Zenna blinked at him in confusion before yawning. _"Sleepy…" _she mumbled, laying her head on Eret's lap. The twelve-year-old boy smiled and gently brushed Zenna's hair behind her ear. _"Just try to rest, Zen…" _Eret said softly before looking at Heather. The raven-haired girl smiled. _"It's okay, Eret. I can ask Ms. Ingrid to take me the rest of the way home," _she said. Eret smiled gratefully at her before returning his attention back to Zenna, gently petting her head. Zenna shifted in her sleep and smiled, curling up in Eret's lap. And Heather knew, in that moment, that she had no chance with Eret…'_

_(Flashback Ends)_

"…after that, I knew I had no chance with Eret anymore. I knew that he only had eyes for Zenna," Heather finished her story, smiling a bit. "Wow…so what happened after that? Did Eret tell that Brenda and her gang off?" Astrid asked curiously. "Oh, he did worse. When Brenda asked him out to be his date for the festival, Eret rejected her saying, and I will quote him directly, he '_doesn't date girls who pick on little girls just because they're jealous_'. Brenda really cried that day. And, to be honest, it felt kind of good to see her cry. Then, after that, I started feeling sorry for her," Heather admitted with a slight smile. "So Eret and Zenna were really that close even as kids, huh?" Hiccup remarked. "They were. You never really saw one without the other for that long," Heather smiled.

Then Toothless sniffed the air and barked excitedly, flying faster. Hiccup looked ahead and saw the looming shape of the Isle of Zen up ahead. "The Isle of Zen…" Hiccup mumbled. "So…how exactly are we going to get Zenna to come back with us to Berk?" Fishlegs asked nervously. "We'll talk to her," Eret told him. "That's it? The whole fate of Berk is gonna rest on us talking to Zenna?" Snotlout asked, incredulous. "Do you have a better idea?" Astrid asked him, raising an eyebrow at him. "We can tie her up and take her back to Berk!" Ruffnut piped up. "No!" Hiccup said, shaking his head. "Oh! Oh! Or we can club her and…" Tuffnut managed to say before Eret told him, "Nobody is clubbing Zenna or tying her up, okay?"

Heather then looked at Eret and Hiccup. "Why don't you two be the ones to talk to her? Zenna doesn't trust us in the same way she trusts you two," she advised the two. Looking at each other, Hiccup and Eret nodded. They would be the ones to talk to Zenna…and hopefully convince her to come home.

* * *

**Tell me what u guys thought about this chapter. Next chapter…is going to surprise you guys so be prepared!**

**-GuardianDragon98**


	15. 14: Four Dragons & A Ghost

**Sorry if this took so long and if it's so short. I've been having some trouble adjusting to college life and I've been feeling a little blue. I promise that the next chapter will be longer and better. In the meantime, enjoy this little filler.**

**NOTE: I DO NOT OWN HTTYD**

* * *

**Chapter 14: Four Dragons and A Ghost**

Landing on the beach of the Isle of Zen, the team was stunned to see that flowers were growing amongst delicate ice bushes. The trees, themselves, were covered in frost but they were flourishing. But those weren't the only things.

"Wow…"

"Whoa…"

"Cool…"

"Awesome…"

Snotlout, Fishlegs and the Twins were looking around the place in awe along with their dragons. Hiccup, Astrid, Eret and Heather were also awestruck as well. It was as if the whole Isle of Zen had been infused by Zenna's Elementals! Embers floated about the air like fireflies, Ice and snow delicately frosted the trees, flowers bloomed despite the strange weather conditions and pale thunderclouds hung over the sky, giving the place an air of mystery with their violet lightning bolts.

"How long do you think it took Zenna to transform her island into…_this_?" Astrid asked, gesturing to the whole Isle of Zen. "You just gestured to the whole island," Hiccup chuckled, looking amazed as well. "Knowing Zenna, I'd say about less than ten minutes," Heather said simply. Eret looked around, mesmerized by the island's beauty. "I can't believe she actually did this…It's amazing," he said softly.

"I know. It's really pretty, too, don't you think?"

Everyone was startled by a voice that sounded like a little girl's and looked around. Snotlout, Fishlegs and the Twins then saw some rustling in the bushes and decided to investigate. To their surprise, a little green dragon the size of a Terrible Terror but with the appearance of a Night Fury with beautiful leaf and flower patterns on her wings emerged from the bushes. "Our Mistress made all the changes herself. The flowers are my absolute favorite," the little dragon giggled.

Snotlout, Fishlegs and the Twins stared at the little dragon for about thirty seconds…before they started screaming. The little green dragon looked at the four screaming Vikings in confusion as they backed away from her. "What is that thing?! Why is it talking?!" Snotlout screamed in terror.

"Because she can, doofus! We all can!"

"AAAAHHHH!" Fishlegs shrieked as another little Night Fury-Terrible Terror hybrid came out. This time this dragon was bright red in color and had orange and yellow flame patterns on her wings. "Quit screaming, you idiots! You're hurting my ears!" the red dragon snapped, her wings flaming up. Fishlegs whimpered and backed away…only to bump into a little snow white dragon with icy blue frost patterns on its wings, that was hanging upside down from its tail by a tree branch. "…'Sup?" the white dragon said in a male voice, looking totally calm, even when Fishlegs squeaked and fainted in shock.

Snotlout and the Twins had stopped screaming but were now backing away from the three Terrible Terror/Night Fury hybrids when another dragon, violet in color with black lightning bolt patterns on its wings, surprised them by dive bombing them from the trees! "Look out! Comin' through! Whoo-hoo!" the fourth dragon, with the voice of a hyperactive boy's, laughed and accidentally shocked Snotlout when he landed on the Jorgenson's helmet! "Ghabldlooloodooo!" Snotlout began to mutter in post-lightning Snotlout-ese and turned to the Twins for help. Unfortunately for him, the Twins had managed to annoy the red dragon and were, currently, running around in circles as the red dragon chased them round and round while breathing fireballs at them.

Fishlegs, on the other hand, had regained consciousness and was now staring at the really strange scene playing out in front of him alongside the white dragon, who looked totally chill.

Astrid, Eret, Heather and Hiccup, on the other hand, were completely confused along with the rest of the dragons. The green dragon looked at them and smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry about those two. _Cinder _tends to let her temper get the best of her while _Zap _has a bit of a wild streak sometimes," she said apologetically. "Cinder? Zap?" Astrid repeated the names of the dragons in confusion. "Cinder's the big time hothead currently trying to barbecue your twin friends there while Zap's the overly energetic one annoying your short stack friend," the white dragon said coolly. "So it seems…" Eret deadpanned as he watched Snotlout frantically dodge Zap's sneak attacks. "So the hotheaded red dragon is named Cinder while the violet whirlwind of energy dragon is named Zap. What are your names, then?" Heather asked the green and white dragons. "My name's _Bloom_! This is _Frost_! It's nice to meet you!" the green dragon said cheerfully. "Hey," Frost said casually. "Hey to you as well…" Hiccup said, not really sure how to react anymore, while watching Ruffnut and Tuffnut get their hair almost burnt off by Cinder.

Then, a young woman's voice called out:

"Cinder, Zap, where are your manners? Introduce yourselves to our new guests."

Almost immediately did Cinder and Zap stop terrorizing the Twins and Snotlout and landed in front of the Dragon Riders. "Name's Cinder. If you forget it, I'll make you remember!" Cinder said, puffing her chest out with pride and fiery amber eyes sparkling. "And I'm Zap the Super Cool and Totally Awesome! Great to meet ya!" Zap grinned and did a somersault. "Since when has anyone called you that?" Frost asked, rolling his blue eyes at the violet dragon. "Since just now!" Zap laughed. Bloom then looked up and said, "Hello, Lady Eira!"

That's when…she appeared.

Astrid and Heather both gasped. Toothless and all the other dragons growled in surprise. Snotlout said, "Whabldawat…?" in his post-lightning language while the Twins stared, their eyes as wide as plates while Fishlegs let out a startled yelp. Hiccup and Eret, on the other hand, made sure to blink to make sure that their eyes weren't playing tricks on them.

Apart from the slightly singed brown dress and her right violet eye intact, the specter that had appeared before them was the spitting image of Zenna.

The ghost woman smiled at the stunned group and said, "My name is Eira. _Eira Zennaria Fiersome_, to be exact. Welcome to the Isle of Zen…I've been expecting you.

* * *

**Well, now you guys have met the Olafs of this story. A quick bio of each of the Quadruplet Dragons**

**Cinder – the hothead **

**Frost – the cool, calm and collected**

**Bloom – the warmhearted and gentle**

**Zap – the wild and daring**

**In case you guys are curious, they don't just represent Zenna's Elementals but they also represent the different sides of Zenna's personality. And yes…I also included the ghost of Zenna's ancestor and namesake. You're welcome :D**

**Anyway, I promise that the next chapter will be longer and better. In the meantime, read and review ;)**

**-GuardianDragon98**


	16. 15: The Past Comes Back to Haunt You

**Okay, first off…A THOUSAND APOLOGIES FOR TAKING SO LONG WITH THIS CHAPTER! I AM SO SORRY!**

**Okay, I won't keep you all waiting. Enjoy!**

**NOTE: I DO NOT OWN HTTYD**

* * *

**Chapter 15: The Past Comes Back to Haunt You**

Eira Zennaria smiled and casually flicked her ghostly bangs back with her also ghostly hand as the gang stared at her. Then Toothless and Skullcrusher dared to be brave and plodded over to Eira and began sniffing her. "Hihi, boo!" Eira suddenly went right through the two dragons, sending shivers up their spines, and appeared before the other dragons. Stormfly, Windshear, Meatlug, Hookfang and Barf and Belch all roared in shock and backed away from the ghost.

Cinder, Frost, Bloom and Zap giggled among themselves while the Dragon Riders looked at Eira in both curiosity and wariness. Then Hiccup nervously cleared his throat. "You've…you've been expecting us, Ms. Eira…?" he stammered while still trying to comprehend just what the heck was going on. "Mm-hmmm, I have. Well…I wasn't exactly expecting all of you Dragon Riders here. Just you and Eret," Eira replied. "You know me?" Eret asked, his eyebrows raised in surprise. Eira's face softened and she sadly smiled. "I've been by Zenna's side from the moment she had been conceived in her mother's womb. I've been watching over her all her life…" she said wistfully.

The team looked at each other, stunned, as Eira began to explain her story. "As I was burnt at the stake, I prayed to Freyja and the gods to halt the line of Fiersome Elementals. They granted my wish yet I still felt, even upon my death, that someday, somehow, the line of the Fiersome Elementals would resume once again. Due to that, I never went to Valhalla and became a mere spirit wandering through Midgard…Then…Edgar Fiersome married Henna Idun…and I immediately sensed that their child…would become an Elemental," she told them slowly. "You were able to sense that Zenna would become like you before she was even born…" Astrid said softly in amazement. Eira smiled slightly and said, "Call it an ancestor's intuition…" before noticing that Hiccup and Eret were both staring at her.

Heather took notice of this and jabbed both men in the ribs. "Boys, don't be rude," she smirked even when Eret and Hiccup both glared at her slightly. "Can you blame them for staring? She's…" Fishlegs managed to say before the Twins interrupted.

"A ghost?" Ruffnut piped up.

"A phantom?" Tuffnut added.

"They kind of have the same meaning," Astrid pointed out. Eret and Hiccup, on the other hand, looked at Eira apologetically. "We're really sorry for being rude, Eira…" Hiccup said sheepishly. "It's just that…you…you look a lot like…" Eret managed to say before trailing off. Eira smiled gently at them. "I look a lot like Zenna. I know…" she said softly. Shifting nervously from his prosthetic leg to his real leg, Hiccup cleared his throat and said, "We…we should probably go find Zen…"

Silently, the team headed further inland with Eira and the Quadruplet Dragons following them. Cinder glared and her wings flamed up when Zap tried to pull a prank on her, which made Hookfang huff proudly. "Aw, Cinder, you're no fun…" Zap whined. "We don't have time for fun, Zap! We need to look for our Mistress," Cinder snapped at him. "Cinder, just quit being such a hothead all the time. Oh, wait, is that even possible?" Frost said sarcastically before ducking as a fireball sailed over his head. Heather had to laugh. "You know, looking at you four, it's like I'm seeing all four main personalities of Zenna," she giggled. "Actually, Ms. Heather, we are. We're representations of Zenna's psyche," Bloom explained. "Psyche?" Snotlout asked, crinkling his brows upon hearing the strange new word. "It's another word for personality, Snotface," Cinder said hotly as she rolled her eyes at him. Now Heather was not amused and said, "You know…I think Frost is right, Cinder. You really need to learn how to control your temper." In a slightly irked tone. Cinder sighed in frustration. "I know. _I know! _You think I don't know that?!But sometimes I just have to let it out, you know? Like that time Mistress got mad at Hiccup here for keeping such a super huge secret from her not too long ago," she said, pointing one claw at the auburn-headed Chief. Hiccup looked down at the ground in shame. "Cinder, he was trying to protect her from that deranged Berserker chief…" Bloom told her sister gently. "That Dagur guy? He's crazy…no, no, crazier than crazy. He's…well…_deranged_!" Zap laughed hard at that but Frost swatted him with his wing. "Dude, now is seriously not a good time to bring him up or even joke about him right now. We've got his sister with us right now," the white dragon told him off.

"Sister?" Cinder, Bloom and Zap all asked. Sighing, Frost waved his paw over at Heather. Almost instantly did Cinder, Bloom and Zap begin reacting in different ways. Cinder started to flame up, growling at Heather, Bloom only looked at her with the innocent curiosity of a kitten while Zap was the only one who seemed nervous about her that he actually started shuddering. "Hey, it's alright…I'm nothing like him…" Heather reassured them. "Heather's the exact opposite of her lunatic brother. If she's anything, she's someone you'd love to be friends with. She's smart, she's funny, she's cute and she's someone you can rely on," Snotlout grinned.

And…that's when he noticed the stares his friends were giving him.

"Snotlout and Heather sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" the Twins sang out, cackling, before ducking as Heather's double-bladed axe embedded itself in a tree behind them. "I seriously hope Zenna won't get mad about that…" Heather mumbled sheepishly before glancing at Snotlout and gave him a shy smile. For once, Snotlout couldn't say anything and just sheepishly smiled back. Hiccup, Astrid and Eret looked at each other and smiled. "Wait till Zenna hears about this…" Eret chuckled. "Snotlout and Heather, that's a match made in Valhalla…" Astrid said in amusement. Hiccup looked back at Fishlegs who had now finished his victory dance and was now looking, amazingly, happy for Snotlout. "Well, Fishlegs looks happy and kinda relieved…" the one-legged Chief remarked. Heather and Snotlout just avoided looking at each other so they wouldn't see how both of them were blushing tomato red.

Eira merely smiled and looked at Hiccup and Eret. "I can sense that you two have a really special connection to my many greats great granddaughter," she told them. Both men blushed as their friends began to tease. "Oh, they have a special connection, alright. Hiccup and Zenna are always coming up with the craziest schemes_and _getting themselves into trouble to go along with their said schemes," Ruffnut grinned. "Ruff, quit it," Hiccup rolled his eyes at the female Thorston. "And Eret? We've lost count on how many times we've caught him and Zenna…" Tuffnut managed to say before Eret threatened him with a death glare while saying, "Finish that sentence, Thorston, and you'll be dealing with my sword."

"He won't say that he's still in love…" Heather sang out tauntingly. "Heather, shut up!" Eret groaned, shaking his head in annoyance. "Come on, Heather, leave him alone," Astrid giggled. "Oh, go ahead and laugh! I'm not even going to bother stopping you anymore," Eret sighed, covering his ears. Eira seemed to find all of this amusing and laughed breezily. "All of you must be really good friends of Zenna to risk it all to bring her home. Your lot's good in my book," she smiled. "Th-thank you, Lady Eira…" Hiccup stuttered. "You're welcome, Chief Hiccup. And, please, call me Eira. Lady Eira seems a little too formal," Eira smiled gently. Hiccup nodded and they continued making their way through the Isle of Zen. Suddenly, the Quadruplet Elemental Dragons sensed something and flew on ahead. They came back just three seconds later. "Good news, we found where Zenna is!" Frost reported. "And you guys gotta see it! It's this huge palace with turrets, towers, balconies and everything! It even has a moat – with _lava_!" Zap exclaimed excitedly.

"A lava moat?" Ruffnut asked, looking like a kid in a candy store. "No, but there's also a…" Bloom managed to say before Tuffnut yelled, "Last one there's an eel!" and took off with his sister! "Wait! There's also a barrier surrounding the area! You do not want to cross the barrier!" Cinder shouted in alarm but the Twins and Barf and Belch had already gone ahead. "We better make sure those idiots don't kill themselves…" Eira sighed and the gang followed her and the Quadruplet Dragons. They caught up with the Twins and were stunned to see, nestled on the side of a mountain that served as the highest point of the Isle of Zen, a magnificent palace formed entirely out of ice, trees and volcanic rock!

"Whoa…My inner alchemist just started crying…I think I'm gonna cry, too…" Heather murmured, looking a bit choked up, in the presence of sheer beauty. "Go ahead. I won't judge," Snotlout said, handing her a handkerchief. "Where's the moat?!" Ruffnut exclaimed upon seeing that there was no moat of glowing red lava around the palace. "I was kidding! Hahaha!" Zap laughed. "You no-good trickster! Wait till I get my hands on you!" Tuffnut glared at him and proceeded to chase Zap around. "Don't get too close to the…!" Bloom shouted worriedly before Tuffnut suddenly slammed into the barrier, getting electrocuted! "…barrier," Bloom finished her sentence as Tuffnut fell on his back, twitching as sparks fizzed out of him. "Whoa…you okay?" Ruffnut asked, a little worried, as she peered down at her brother. "That…was…_awesome!_" Tuffnut exclaimed, his hair free from his dreadlocks and looking like a crazed porcupine. "Are those two even human?" Eira asked, amazed, as Tuffnut got Ruffnut to electrocute herself as well. "To be honest, Eira, we have no idea how they've managed to survive to adulthood…" Fishlegs replied, shaking his head. Astrid and Heather both tested the barrier with their axes, their weapons deflected back to them in a shower of sparks as they made contact with the barrier. Even with all of their dragons blasting it at the same time, the barrier held.

"That thing's indestructible…" Astrid muttered as she carefully picked up her axe and examined the burnt edge. "Zenna really doesn't want trespassers…" Heather sighed. That's when Zap decided to try going through the barrier. To his siblings' surprise, Zap went right through the barrier without getting electrocuted! "Cool, I got through! Cinder, Frost, Bloom, come on!" the violet dragon coaxed his siblings. "I don't know, Zap. Maybe you weren't hurt because you control Lightning but we're different elements…" Bloom said apprehensively. "Can't hurt to try, sis. See you on the other side!" Cinder said bravely, flapping her wings, and flew towards the barrier at top speed, getting through the barrier as well! "Well, I might as well get this over with…" Frost shrugged his wings and flew through the barrier as well. Seeing that her brothers and sister made it through unscathed, Bloom steeled her nerves and flew towards the barrier. Shutting her eyes, Bloom braced herself for the electric shock but didn't feel anything and got through the barrier as well!

Eira noticed the four and tried to go through the barrier herself, succeeding. Looking at Hiccup, Astrid, Eret, Heather, Snotlout, Fishlegs, the Twins and their dragons, Eira realized just what her descendant was doing. The barrier was indestructible, yes, but it was passable…but only by a select few.

"Try to get close to the barrier, all of you," Eira instructed the team. "Are you sure that's safe?" Fishlegs eyed her warily. "To be honest, I'm not a hundred percent sure. But this barrier chooses who gets to cross it. Who among all of you, we'll have to find out," Eira replied. "How can a barrier choose someone?" Snotlout asked, confused. Heather then figured out what Eira was saying and her eyes lit up. "The barrier is controlled by Zenna…" she said in realization. "Exactly, Heather. Now we need to see who Zenna will allow to cross over to her domain," Eira nodded. "I think I already have a pretty good guess on who can cross…" Astrid remarked, glancing at Hiccup and Eret.

The Riders all lined up, their dragons at their sides, and all tried to cross the barrier. But it seemed that the barrier would not yield to anyone.

Astrid and Stormfly managed to get close enough to touch it but were deterred by the sudden mild shock they both got.

Heather and Windshear faced the same result as Astrid's.

Snotlout was speaking in post-lighting Snotlout-ese again after Hookfang accidentally pushed him into the barrier.

The Twins and Barf and Belch ended up getting electrocuted together but were still alright, thankfully.

And Fishlegs and Meatlug were both so nervous that they instantly shied away from the barrier when it suddenly sparked.

Eira watched the first six Riders fail with their dragons before saying, "Hiccup, Eret, get on your dragons and fly towards the barrier together."

Toothless and Skullcrusher looked at each other and let out disgruntled growls. "What if it doesn't work?" Eret asked. "If the barrier didn't respond to any of your friends, then, there's a chance that you four can make it," Eira said seriously. "And if we don't?" Hiccup questioned her. "Then let's just hope you four don't get hurt too badly," Eira sighed, already praying that her intuition was right. She could sense that Hiccup and Eret were different. Compared to the other Riders, both of them had a strong connection to Zenna and their hearts weren't shaken by fear. If she was right, Eira could tell that Hiccup and Eret were the only ones, along with their dragons, to cross the barrier without getting shocked. "Show no fear and take a leap or, more accurately, _a flight of faith_," she told the two. Glancing at each other, Hiccup and Eret both thought the same thing and nodded. This barrier, no matter how powerful it was, wasn't going to stop them from finding Zenna, helping her and bringing her home. Getting on their dragons, the two men braced themselves.

"Full speed, Toothless!" "Go for it, Skullcrusher!"

Roaring in determination, Toothless and Skullcrusher both lifted off the ground and flew towards the barrier at top speed. Like Bloom, Hiccup and Eret shut their eyes and readied themselves for the electrocution to begin. But it didn't come. They flew through the barrier like there was nothing in front of them but pure air! The gang cheered as they landed beside Eira, Cinder, Frost, Bloom and Zap. "I knew it," Eira smiled as Hiccup and Eret fist bumped triumphantly. "A mere barrier isn't going to stop us!" Hiccup grinned. "No retreat and no surrender!" Eret laughed.

The barrier had vanished the moment the four of them made contact with it but was now back in place. From the other side, Astrid went over to stand in front of Hiccup. The two of them both placed their hands against the barrier, retracting their hands when the barrier gave them both a static shock. "Be careful, Babe…" Astrid said softly. "I will. We'll be back soon, I promise," Hiccup nodded before he, Toothless, Eret, Skullcrusher, Eira, Cinder, Bloom, Frost and Zap headed for Zenna's palace.

* * *

Meanwhile on Berk…the Berserker Tribe had attacked.

Berk was completely taken by surprise and, with all the extreme conditions caused by Zenna's Elementals, its people were unprepared for the sudden siege. They fought hard against Dagur and his armada but, ultimately, failed and were captured. All the dragons had been caged while the villagers were held captive in the dungeons. The only ones who had managed to escape were Valka, Gobber, Spitelout, Alvin, Savage, Mildew, Edgar, Henna, El and Thora and, right now, they were hiding out in the Cove. "Thor's Beard, we need Hiccup right now!" Alvin grumbled as he, Edgar, Gobber and Spitelout tried to formulate a battle strategy. "This is all Zenna's fault! If she had been sent off the island when Thor started raining his lightning down all those years ago, then, none of us would be in this mess!" Mildew loudly ranted before Savage knocked him out again with his club. "What I'd like to know is how did the Berserkers know about our current predicament? It's as if someone here managed to bring them word of the situation, enabling them to plan an attack…" Valka said thoughtfully. "It's possible, Valka…But the question is _who_?" Henna wondered out loud.

Thora, who had been playing with El to keep him from getting scared, looked like she was about to say something when she and everyone else heard Dagur.

"Find every last Berkian and throw them in the dungeon! When Hiccup and his Night Fury come, kill them!"

"He's going to kill Uncka Hiccup and Toothlwess!" El cried out, Henna gently shushing him. Handing El back to his mother, Thora drew her sword. "I'm going to throw them off your trail. While I'm distracting them, the rest of you run and hide somewhere safer," she murmured. "Thora, it's too dangerous for you to be alone…" Henna said worriedly. "I'll be fine, Mrs. Fiersome, don't worry. What you need to worry about is waiting for Hiccup, Eret and the others to return with Zenna. You, Edgar and El need to be free for your daughter," Thora said seriously before climbing out of the Cove.

Alvin, Savage, Valka, Gobber, Spitelout, Edgar, Henna and El heard the cry of, "There! I see her! Capture her!" followed by Thora's defiant yell of, "You'll never take me alive, Berserkers!" and the gradual muffling of footsteps as Thora led the Berserkers away from them. "That lass is a brave one, I'll give her that…" Spitelout remarked. "Aye, never seen someone that willing to let herself be chased by those dastardly Berserkers," Alvin nodded in agreement.

The only thing the rest of the group could do was stay hidden from the Berserkers while praying for Hiccup and the Riders to return soon…

* * *

Zenna's palace was situated on the highest point of the Isle of Zen so Toothless and Skullcrusher had to fly upwards. Landing in front of the tall majestic doors, the small group wondered what to do next. "I have to say that Zenna's really gotten a hang of her powers. Even I couldn't make something as grand as this when I mastered my magic," Eira remarked, impressed, as she admired the beautifully constructed ice doors that had lovely engravings of flowers and Night Furies. Hiccup and Eret, on the other hand, looked nervous as they approached the doors. Looking at each other, they nodded and raised their clenched hands up to knock…only they didn't.

"Knock," Cinder coaxed them.

They still didn't.

"Why aren't they knocking?" Frost wondered out loud, not seeing how nervous Eret and Hiccup were.

"Maybe they don't know how to knock…" Zap said before Bloom gently shushed him and his siblings. Flying over to hover between Hiccup and Eret, Bloom smiled gently. "You two won't know the door's open unless you knock on it," she said gently. Hiccup and Eret still looked unsure but Eira encouraged them. "You two were the only ones able to get through the barrier. That shows that Zenna's connection with you is special. If she let you guys through, she's letting you both see her," the ghost said softly.

A little reassured, Hiccup and Eret both knocked. The doors swung open, much to their surprise. "Huh, open…" Hiccup mumbled. "That's a first in a long while," Eret remarked before noticing that Eira and the Dragon Elemental Quadruplets were about to enter the palace. "Uh…Eira, maybe you, Bloom, Cinder, Frost and Zap should stay here," he advised the ghost. "Yeah, no offense, but the last time a girl got involved, Zenna kind of…well…" Hiccup mumbled sheepishly. "Aw, but we wanna go see our Mistress!" Zap whined. "We want to thank her for creating us and giving us life," Cinder piped up. "Even if it was by accident," Bloom added. Then Frost, the most mature among the Quadruplets, said, "Come on, you three. This is something Hiccup and Eret need to do alone."

Seeing that their brother had a point, Bloom, Cinder and Zap decided to stay put. "How long will you two be in there?" Eira asked, gesturing to the inside of the palace. "Just give us a minute," both men said before going inside with Toothless and Skullcrusher.

"One…" Zap whispered, starting the countdown. "Two…" Frost continued. "Three…" Bloom mumbled. "Four…" Cinder said, getting antsy. "Five…" Eira sighed, hoping for the best.

* * *

The minute Hiccup and Eret were inside the palace's foyer with their dragons, they were instantly floored by the grandeur of the place. Torches lined the walls, the ice walls and ceilings glittered, flowering vines crept here and there and the grand ice chandelier was aglow with lightning. Toothless and Skullcrusher both warbled in amazement as a bunch of fireballs floated past them and they decided to chase them. "This place is incredible…" Eret said, awestruck. "If everything goes well between you and Zen, this looks like a really good place to spend your honeymoon," Hiccup said teasingly, winking at him. "Yeah…hey!" Eret said and gave the one-legged Chief a weak punch in the shoulder and laughed. Hiccup laughed as well before he heard Toothless and Skullcrusher roar happily and saw Stryka bound into the foyer. The one-eyed dragoness trilled happily as she nuzzled Toothless, her beloved mate, and butted heads playfully with Skullcrusher.

"Hey, girl!" Hiccup called out to the one-eyed female Night Fury. Stryka turned her head in Hiccup and Eret's direction and immediately ran over to the two, tackling them both and giving them big slobbery licks! "Hahaha! Good to see you, too, Stryka!" Eret laughed as he petted Zenna's dragon. Stryka purred and nudged Hiccup with her snout. "We're really glad you're okay, girl. Is Zenna doing okay?" Hiccup smiled.

"You and Eret can always ask me, Hicc."

Hiccup and Eret directed their attention to the grand staircase and their eyes widened. Zenna stood at the top of the staircase, looking like a princess, and her wings were open so they could see them. Toothless and Skullcrusher both growled in surprise and looked to Stryka, who smiled toothlessly at them. Hiccup and Eret were awestruck. "Hi…" Zenna said shyly, seeing how the two men were staring at her and her new look. "Whoa…Zenna, you look…different. A-a r-really good d-different…" Hiccup stuttered. Eret smiled gently at Zenna and marveled at her wings. "And this place is…it's amazing…And are those wings?" he asked, brown eyes shining with admiration. Zenna giggled and flapped her wings to lift of the ground and flew down a couple of steps. "They're something, aren't they?" she asked, twirling around a bit. "They're beautiful…" Eret said before smiling shyly and added, "Just like you…" which made Zenna blush.

Then Hiccup climbed one step up the staircase, determined to make amends with his sister. "Zenna, we are so sorry about what happened back on Berk. We didn't know…" he managed to say before Zenna's smile faded and was replaced with a slightly scared expression. "No, no, i-it's okay. You and Eret don't need to apologize…But, you two should probably just go…please…" she said haltingly, hugging herself. "Especially me, Zen. I kept a huge secret from you when I shouldn't have. I-I know the trust between us has changed but, no matter what, you're still my sister and I am so sorry for lying to you…I really am…" Hiccup said, his emerald green eyes pleading along with him for forgiveness. Zenna smiled softly and felt some of the anxiety within her abate as she heard her dear brother not by blood but by bond apologize. "Hiccup, it's okay. I understand now why you did what you did, and I forgive you," she said at last. Hiccup smiled and glanced at Eret, who looked hopeful like him.

"But, really, you guys should go…"

Hiccup's heart sank upon hearing Zenna say those words. They just had to convince Zenna to come home with them! Without her, home wasn't exactly home and there was also the problem of the extreme conditions back on Berk. "But we just got here," Eret said, stepping onto the staircase. "You two belong back in Berk," Zenna replied, taking a step back. "So do you, Zen," Eret answered. "No, Eret, I belong here, _alone_, where I can be who I am…without hurting anyone…" Zenna said softly, turning away from her ex-fiancé. Eret and Hiccup both exchanged uneasy glances.

Oh Thor, how were they going to tell Zenna that her Elementals were still affecting Berk and most of the Barbaric Archipelago?

"Actually, Zenna, there…" Hiccup said before…

"…57!"

"…58!"

"…59!"

"…60! One minute is officially up!"

"Wait, what were those…?" Zenna mumbled before the Quadruplet Elemental Dragons entered the palace followed by Eira. "Hi, Zenna!" Bloom, Cinder, Frost and Zap greeted her enthusiastically. "I tried to stop them…" Eira sighed, shaking her head. Zenna's one violet eye widened as the Quadruplet Dragons landed next to Hiccup and Eret. Stryka looked confused and tilted her head to the side. "Mistress, it's us!" Zap greeted Zenna, smiling, and saluted her with his right wing. "Cinder, Bloom, Frost and Zap!" Bloom laughed, happy to see her creator and mistress. "You made us. Remember that?" Frost asked, icy blue eyes shining. Zenna looked at each little dragon before asking, "And…and you four are alive?" to which Cinder shrugged and said, "We think so."

Then Zenna looked at Eira and she gasped. "Zen, it's okay. She's your ancestor," Hiccup reassured. "Your namesake to be exact, Eira Zennaria Fiersome," Eret added. Zenna stared at the ghost before her, mouth agape. "I know. It's like looking into a mirror, isn't it?" Eira asked, smiling gently. "H-how…?" Zenna stuttered before Eira decided to explain. "Zenna, I've been watching you your whole life. From the moment you were conceived, I already knew you were going to be an Elemental. I know that the line of Fiersome Elementals ended with me but, now, it's begun anew thanks to you. And…I know that you've been afraid ever since you accidentally hurt Stryka but you don't have to be. Hiccup and Eret aren't scared of you and your friends will understand. Zenna, you don't have to be scared anymore. It's okay," she reassured the one-eyed Fiersome.

Zenna looked over to Eret and Hiccup, who both smiled reassuringly. "Zenna, your powers don't make you who you are but they're something wonderful that's a part of you now. You don't have to hide them anymore," Eret told her. "We'll go back home and we'll help everyone understand your magic and accept you. Zenna, no matter what, you're family even when you had shut us out. If you come back with us, we can be like that again," Hiccup said softly. Toothless and Skullcrusher, along with the Quadruplet Elemental Dragons, all gave Zenna hopeful, pleading looks. Zenna looked like she was about to accept but, then, she looked at Stryka, her lightning bolt-shaped scar and Eira.

She remembered the accident, which resulted in Stryka's scar. She remembered what she had learned from Eira, the very first Elemental, about how her namesake had been burnt at the stake, how people persecuted her family because of their powers, and when Mildew called her a monster.

Most of all, she remembered the shocked looks on Hiccup, Eret and all of her friends.

Shaking her head, Zenna turned away from the small group trying to bring her home. She couldn't do it. She couldn't go back, not after all she'd done and all she knew what could happen.

"No, we can't…Goodbye…" Zenna whispered before going up the stairs to get away. "Zenna, wait!" Hiccup and Eret called out, going after her. "No! I just want to protect you two!" Zenna said sadly as she disappeared behind a door. "You don't have to protect us! We're not afraid!" Hiccup and Eret both said as they followed her through the interiors of the palace. Eira looked at the dragons and sighed heavily, worried, and passed through the palace walls with the dragons following the three humans.

* * *

Meanwhile, outside, the barrier that Zenna had been controlling with her emotions had disappeared upon sensing Zenna's inner turmoil. "Hey, the barrier's gone!" Snotlout shouted, going through the spot the barrier had been and doing a happy dance upon not being electrocuted before Hookfang made him stop by flicking him with his tail into a snowdrift. "Come on! Maybe Hiccup and Eret convinced Zenna to come home at last!" Heather called out to the rest of the Riders, pulling Snotlout out of the snow, and headed for the palace.

* * *

"Zenna, please don't shut us out again. We just want to help," Eret pleaded as he and Hiccup managed to catch up with Zenna near a balcony of her palace. "That's the thing. You guys can't help me. No one can. You two aren't like me," Zenna said, feeling scared for Hiccup and Eret's safety, as her Elementals began to react to her emotions. "We know, Zen. We're not Elementals like you but we can understand you. And if…if we can understand you, then, we can understand your powers," Hiccup said as the dragons caught up with them. "Zenna, they're right. Don't make the same mistake I did," Eira said softly, the trio looking at her. "What mistake are you talking about?" Zenna asked her. "Thinking that your gift as a curse and that you're a monster because of them is going to make you believe until, eventually, it'll become true. When I was persecuted, I pleaded to the gods to take away the gift they had bestowed upon our family in hopes that things will change for the better…because _I _thought that _I _was a monster. But I was wrong. I took away something that was a part of our family, of our heritage, the day I died and I regretted denying my descendants of their gift. When you came along, I saw hope. Hope that will allow the gods to bless the next generation of our family once more, and maybe…just maybe…have a better chance of being accepted as an Elemental and to use your gift for what it was truly meant for: To help others," Eira said, a silvery phantom tear trailing down her ghostly cheek.

"I understand that…but what if you made the right decision? Maybe our powers will never be accepted because people will never fully understand. If I have to live with these powers for the rest of my life, I want to live alone so nobody will have to be afraid of me," Zenna said brokenly. "Zenna, you don't understand! Berk won't survive without you!" Hiccup pleaded with his sister. "What do you mean by that? I've accepted my powers so everything's back to normal, i-isn't it?" Zenna asked, getting a bad feeling in her gut. "Zenna, we…we need you to undo what your powers accidentally did to Berk. Wildfires are spreading across the forests, thorny vines are growing everywhere in the village and…and there's also the freak lightning and snowstorm as well as the entire ocean kinda completely frozen over…" Eret said meekly, hoping that Zenna wouldn't freak out too much.

Too bad she did.

"_What_?" Zenna breathed out. "Your magic kind of set off an out-of-control freak weather and nature storm everywhere…" Hiccup said sheepishly. "_Everywhere_?" Zenna repeated in horror. "But that's alright. You can just undo it," Eret said optimistically. "No, I can't! I-I don't know how!" Zenna exclaimed in distress. "Sure, you can!" Eret reassured her. "We know you can!" Hiccup chimed in.

Zenna began to panic.

A flurry of her Elementals began to surround her, raging orange-red fires, frigid white and icy blue flurries of snow, thorny vines growing and releasing emerald green Nature magic and electric purple swirls of lightning, light and magic swirling around the panicking Dragon Doctor, which Eret and Hiccup both tried to get through to reach her…before…

"_**I CAN'T!" **_Zenna screamed, her magic blasting out in four directions! Eira and the Quadruplet Elemental Dragons managed to avoid getting hit with the blast of Lightning magic while Toothless, Stryka and Skullcrusher all ducked to avoid getting struck by Zenna's Nature magic. That left the blasts of Fire and Ice magic.

The Fire that hit Hiccup and the Ice that hit Eret – both blasts had struck them both right in their chests.

Right in their hearts…

* * *

**Dun, dun, duuuuun! I've always wanted to do that!**

**What happens next? Will Hiccup and Eret be okay? Will Zenna finally come home? Will the Berkians and Meatheads defeat the Berserkers? Will we find out who are the Hans and Marshmallow of this story? And, more importantly, will this all have a happy ending?**

**Leave your wildest guesses and wildest review. Till next chapter ;)**

**-GuardianDragon98**


	17. 16: Redemption

**I'm back, pitches!**

**Okay, that was a bit corny. Anyway, man, is it good to be back updating Frozen Fire! I'm SUPER sorry this took so long. What with college and all, I kind of ran out of inspiration on how to continue this story but, like I said before, I wouldn't dream of abandoning it.**

**Where we last left off, Hiccup and Eret just got struck in the hearts with Zenna's magic. Now, let's see how things play out when you add a Bewilderbeast made from the Elementals.**

**NOTE: I DO NOT OWN HTTYD!**

* * *

**Chapter 16: Redemption**

Hiccup and Eret both yelped as Zenna's magic struck them and staggered backwards, clutching their chests. That's when Zenna, who had her back turned to them the whole time, turned around and realized what she had done.

'_Holy Shields, what have I done…?_' Zenna thought in horror as Toothless and Skullcrusher worriedly went over to their Riders and held them up.

"HICCUP!" "ERET!"

Astrid, Heather and the other Riders rushed in to see the two men being held upright by their dragons. "Oh, my gods…" Astrid breathed out, going over to Hiccup to make sure he was okay. "What happened?" Heather asked as Eret managed to recover. "She didn't mean it. We're fine," the ex-trapper told her before looking at Zenna. "Wait, did she strike you guys?!" Snotlout demanded, making Zenna look down at the ground in shame. "Snotlout, it was an accident. We pushed her too far," Hiccup said and glanced at Zenna.

Unable to take any more distress, Zenna looked up and said, "You all need to leave, _now_."

"Not without you, Zen. We can fix this together," Hiccup refused. "How? What makes you all think that you can stop all of this madness? I don't know how to undo everything my powers have caused. It's best that I be left alone!" Zenna exclaimed in frustration. "We'll figure something out. We always do. The point is that we're not leaving you, Zenna," Eret told her firmly. "Yes, you are," Zenna said and, using her powers, conjured up a Bewilderbeast! "Whoa…Elemental Bewilderbeast…" Tuffnut breathed out in awe as he and the others stared up at the massive dragon that looked like a Bewilderbeast except that it was smaller, just big enough to tower over them but not take up an entire room, its two tusks and spines were made of ice, covered in leafy and thorny vines and ablaze with both fire and lightning, and its eyes were a deep violet. "That is so cool…I gotta get one of those…" Ruffnut murmured. Fishlegs gulped nervously as the Elemental Bewilderbeast fixed its eyes on him and his friends.

"_Renegade_, show them the way out," Zenna commanded. The Elemental Bewilderbeast growled and lumbered towards the team, intent on throwing them out of the doors, but Toothless, Stryka, Skullcrusher, Stormfly, Windshear, Hookfang, Meatlug, Barf and Belch and the Quadruplet Elemental Dragons all stood in front of the Riders and roared. _**"GO AWAY!" **_Renegade bellowed. Toothless, Skullcrusher, Stormfly, Windshear, Hookfang, Meatlug and Barf and Belch all growled, ready to fight, but Stryka, Cinder, Bloom, Frost and Zap stepped in.

"Don't hurt him! He's our little brother!" Bloom pleaded. "Our _big _little brother!" Cinder added. "_Big little brother_?" Tuffnut repeated, confused. "Uh, yeah, he's big and he was created by Zenna last so, in terms of order of creation, he's our little sibling," Frost pointed out. "Our _big _little sibling," Zap added.

Renegade bellowed loudly, prepared to chase the intruders out of the palace, when Eira floated over to him. "I must admit, Zenna, you are the most powerful Elemental in our entire family…" she remarked and, then, ensnared Renegade in tendrils of vines! Everyone gasped as Eira subdued the mighty Elemental Bewilderbeast, casting a shield of fire and lightning over Renegade with her magic, and faced Zenna.

"However, you don't know _everything _we Fiersome Elementals know," Eira said calmly, although the air had turned cold. Zenna glanced over at Renegade, her Elemental Bewilderbeast roaring as he tried to break the shield by ramming into it with his massive tusks, before looking at Eira. "If you come back, we can fix all of this and I can teach you the secrets our ancestors have learned. You don't have to be alone and isolated from the world. We can still try to convince your people that there is nothing to be afraid of. If you can convince a tribe to make peace with dragons, you can convince a tribe that not all magic is bad," Eira offered. Zenna looked like she was ready to accept the offer but she sighed and shook her head.

"Set Renegade free and leave. That's all I'm asking you to do," the one-eyed Dragon Doctor said in a low voice. "Your friends aren't going to leave you, Zenna. You know that," Eira reminded her. Finally, Zenna made up her mind.

"Then I'll just have to _force _you all to leave."

Saying this, Zenna unleashed a flurry of fireballs at Eira! "Zenna, no!" Hiccup screamed as Eira shielded herself by raising a slab of volcanic rock and unleashed a barrage of icicles at Zenna! "Eira, stop! Don't hurt her!" Eret pleaded. He, Hiccup, Toothless, Stryka, Skullcrusher, Cinder, Bloom, Frost and Zap tried to intervene but Eira and Zenna had both put up a Lightning barrier, effectively shutting them out as the fight between them became more intense.

'_Damn, for a ghost, she's good!_' Zenna mentally cursed herself for acting so rashly as she used her Nature magic to conjure vines, swatting the icicles away, and shot out lightning from her hands! Eira did the same and both strikes dissipated into the air with a crackle of electricity.

'_I can't attack her directly and, for Odin's sake, she's a ghost! How am I suppose to subdue a ghost when all my attacks go through her?' _Zenna thought as she and Eira continued attacking each other. Fire, Ice, Lightning and Nature all collided with each other as the two Elementals, one of flesh-and-blood and the other a wandering soul, continued the onslaught.

But, as the battle raged on, Eira could feel herself slowly fading away and the other Riders could see that. "She's starting to fade…" Heather said in horror upon seeing that Eira's ghostly form was slowly vanishing. "I-If she keeps that up…wh-what's going to happen to her?" Snotlout stammered. "If a ghost with unfinished business just vanishes…they might never be able to go to Valhalla and will be lost forever…" Fishlegs replied, remembering something he had read about ghosts and supernatural forces from when he was a kid.

"Eira's not the only one looking tuckered out…" Ruffnut gulped, pointing at Zenna. "Zen's barely holding her own…" Tuffnut said worriedly, seeing that Zenna was already panting from exerting herself and barely avoiding Eira's attacks.

"Zenna, Eira, stop!"

"Stop fighting! Please!"

Astrid was furiously whacking at the barrier with any non-metal object she could get her hands on when she noticed Hiccup and Eret both trying to get through. She could see the desperation in their eyes. Both Eira and Zenna looked like they had forgotten about their reasons for attacking and, now, were on the verge of destroying each other.

Luckily, the more exhausted Eira and Zenna became, the more the barrier destabilized until, finally, it vanished completely.

But that was also the same time Eira and Zenna prepared to fire their strongest blasts of their Elementals at each other.

Then, just as both Elementals unleashed their strongest blasts of magic, Eret and Hiccup ran to the very center of their battlefield!

"No!" Astrid and Heather both screamed.

"Hiccup! Eret!" Fishlegs shouted in horror.

"Are you two insane?!" Snotlout yelled at them.

"Get out of there!" The Twins screamed in unison.

All the dragons roared in alarm while the Quadruplet Elemental Dragons could barely watch.

Hiccup and Eret stood back-to-back with their arms spread out to their sides, and braced themselves...

Suddenly the two blasts stopped in midair, Zenna's blast just mere inches from Eret and Eira's blast also mere inches from Hiccup.

"It doesn't have to be this way!" Eret pleaded, amber brown orbs looking into Zenna's deep violet one. "You two don't need to fight! It won't solve anything!" Hiccup said bravely, looking at Eira desperately.

Both Elementals looked at the two, then, at the others getting ready to step in, and finally, at each other. Eira sighed and let her magic subside before looking down at the floor in shame of her actions. By attacking her own descendant, she had broken a sacred oath of the Fiersome Elementals: Never use your magic against anyone.

And she had just broken that oath.

Zenna, on the other hand, knew nothing about the sacred oath or anything else about her Elemental heritage. What she _did _know…was that she had struck Hiccup and Eret, two of the most important people in her entire life, in the heart with her magic, had unknowingly plunged the entire Barbaric Archipelago into Elemental-induced chaos, nearly destroyed her own ancestor…and had, basically, proven…that she _was _a monster.

Ashamed and exhausted, Zenna turned and ran out of the room.

"Zenna, wait…" Eira tried to stop her but Zenna had already fled the scene. Looking at each other, Hiccup and Eret nodded and raced after her. "Hold up! Guys, what if she…!" Fishlegs called after the two. "I always knew my cousin was crazy. I didn't know craziness was contagious…" Snotlout groaned, referring to Eret. "Yeah. I mean, running straight into the battle like that, just when those magic blasts were about to collide?" Ruffnut asked. "That was crazy…and awesome!" Tuffnut grinned. Astrid and Heather merely rolled their eyes and, with the dragons, followed their three friends.

Hiccup and Eret caught up with Zenna only to find her surrounded by four barriers of her Elemental magic. She was huddled in a corner beside an ice pillar, one of many supporting her palace, with her knees drawn up to her chest and her wings curled up around her. Sensing Eret and Hiccup's presence, Zenna sobbed. "Just go away…I don't want to hurt you two again…I don't want to hurt anyone else…" she whimpered as the others arrived.

"Zen, it was an accident. Eret and I are fine, see?" Hiccup gestured to him and Eret. They weren't in pain and didn't feel any different so that meant that they were both fine. "But I struck you both! Even if it was by accident, I hurt you two! Mildew was right all along! I'm a monster! I'm nothing but a _monster_!" Zenna cried.

"Whatever that old coot said, Zen, it doesn't matter! You're not a monster. You never were…you never will be…" Eret told her, his heart breaking upon seeing the one-eyed Dragon Doctor like this. Heather stepped forward, a gentle look on her face. "Zenna, your powers haven't changed who you are and who you are to us. You're our friend and you're part of us, part of our family," she said softly.

The Lightning barrier, the outermost barrier surrounding Zenna, disappeared.

Seeing that Zenna was listening, although she avoided their gazes, the team began to speak their hearts and minds out.

"Even with all that fancy magic, Zen, you're still you. You're still the tough-as-nails warrior who doesn't give a hoot about what anyone says about you being different. I've always liked that about you, your '_I don't give a damn about whatever mean thing they say about me_' attitude, and I want you to know, along with the others, that we still care about you," Astrid told her.

"Zen, I may not be good with giving motivational speeches or whatever…but I think that you're still a part of the team. Without you, we're not the best Dragon Riders in Berk. We're just…regular Dragon Riders. Hiccup's the brain of the team and you're the…brains, heart and, well, the other important stuff. What I'm trying to say is…we need you," Snotlout said, a bit apprehensive about the words he had chosen.

"Zenna, you're awesome! That's all we have to say!" Ruffnut piped up enthusiastically. "And with those Elementals, you're…even more awesome than usual! You're on a whole other level of awesomeness!" Tuffnut added.

"And Eira's right about your powers serving a purpose. Just think of what you can do to help everyone with your powers. And, powers or no powers, you've always helped people. And…well…if you stayed away forever…everyone will miss you. We care about you and we just want you to come home…" Fishlegs said quietly, hoping that Zenna could still hear them.

The vines ceased their growing. The second barrier was gone.

Then Eret went near the Ice barrier surrounding Zenna and whispered, "I don't know if you'll still want to be with me after all of this, but I want you to know that…I loved you before when we were children, I love you now, right at this very moment, I'll love you tomorrow, even if things will never be the same between us…I love you _forever and ever and ever until even after the day I die_." With such great love anyone who would have heard Eret aside from Zenna and his friends would feel their hearts melting while simultaneously breaking.

Eret then reached out his hand to touch the ice surrounding Zenna and, just like that, the third barrier was gone.

That left the fire swirling around Zenna and Hiccup stepped forward.

"I don't know if you'll still listen to what I have to say, Zen…" he began.

"…"

"But I-I just want to say I'm sorry again. A-and I'm sorry not just for keeping the fall of the South a secret from you…but also for everything else I've done to you. All those times you had to be the one to take the fall for me, the times where I proved to be nothing but a burden, that huge fight we had before you left for Greece, holding you back from pursuing your dream…everything."

Hiccup got close to the fire, close enough to feel the heat upon his skin, and kept talking.

"And I speak for everyone when I say that…_Zenna, this doesn't change the fact that you are loved. _All of this madness? This hasn't changed how we feel about you. You're our friend and a part of the team and part of our family. We accept you for everything that you are, whether you're an Elemental or not. And you've always been special."

The flames suddenly flickered.

"You see yourself as a monster? We see you as Zenna, the one we can all count on to be there for any of us, one of the most courageous warriors of Berk, one of the best Dragon Riders out there, the Dragon Doctor who saves countless lives wherever she goes, a friend to all dragons, a girl worth fighting and dying for and…an amazing sister."

Taking a deep breath, Hiccup concluded his little soliloquy with, "_Zenna, please, come home. Come back home…to us, please._"

After about a minute or two, the flames died down and Zenna, slowly, stood up as her wings slowly unfurled from around her. Looking at her friends' sincere faces, Zenna felt the tears coming faster.

Especially when Hiccup and Eret both held out their hands and she took them in her own, not hurting them.

Zenna collapsed against the two with a loud, hiccup-like sob, the tears like waterfalls as she cried. "It's all right, Zenna…It's all right…" Eret whispered soothingly as he and Hiccup both embraced her. "We're okay…Okay?" Hiccup felt tears come to his eyes as well as he asked that trademark question. Zenna could only sob.

Only when Astrid, Heather, Snotlout, Fishlegs, the Twins, Eira, Stryka, Toothless, Skullcrusher, Stormfly, Windshear, Hookfang, Meatlug, Barf and Belch, Cinder, Bloom, Frost and Zap joined in the hug did she manage to find her voice again.

Sniffling a bit, Zenna nodded.

"_Okay…_"

* * *

**Looks like things are finally beginning to get better…**

**The question is: Will it last?**

**Read and review whenever and whatever you all want and thank you so much for being patient with this story.**

**-GuardianDragon98**


	18. 17: Finally Good then Bad then Worse

**Okay, guys, I don't know if you guys will like this but you are free to voice your opinions (or rant, whichever you prefer) in the reviews anytime. I can take it.**

**NOTE: I DO NOT OWN HTTYD**

* * *

**Chapter 17: Finally Good then Back to Bad Then to Worse **

Zenna stopped crying a few minutes later and looked at her friends, who all smiled back at her. "I…I'm so sorry…I shouldn't have pushed you all away. The truth is…I needed you guys. I was so scared that I…" she said before sighing heavily and looked down at the floor in shame. Stryka and Toothless both warbled and nuzzled her. Eret gently placed his hands on her shoulders and smiled gently at Zenna. "Zenna, it's okay. What matters now is that you're safe and back with us," he told her. Zenna smiled back at him, her cheeks turning light pink, and wrapped her arms around Eret. "I'm so sorry, Eret…I never wanted to hurt you…" she whispered, her voice hoarse from crying.

Eret gently pressed his lips to Zenna's forehead and embraced her. For a minute, he did nothing but hug her until he said, "You did it to protect us, Zen. _I'm_ the one who should be apologizing because I didn't understand back then…sorry…"

"We're _all _sorry, Zenna. We shouldn't have jumped to conclusions and thought you were shutting us out for no reason," Hiccup chimed in. Zenna wiped the remaining tears from her face and sighed. "You sure you guys aren't afraid of me?" she asked quietly. "Are you kidding us, Zen? That magic of yours is awesome!" Ruffnut grinned. "What's so scary about you having magic? It's cool, no pun intended," Tuffnut added. Zenna laughed at the Twins' enthusiastic response before realizing that _Heather _had joined the team. "Hey, Heather. When did you join the gang?" she asked her old friend. "Just yesterday. It's really good to see you again, Zenna," Heather smiled. "So does this mean you'll come home with us?" Fishlegs asked hopefully.

Zenna was about to answer when, suddenly, Renegade's roar echoed throughout the palace!

"Renegade's in trouble!" Bloom cried out in alarm, her siblings following her as she flew to aid the Elemental Bewilderbeast. The gang all rushed after them and went back to the palace foyer…only to be greeted by…

"Well, hello everyone! So nice to see you again!"

Zenna felt her stomach lurch when she saw Dagur the Deranged and his Berserkers surrounding Renegade. "Now, then, who's the witch terrorizing the Archipelago with her magic?" Dagur asked before pointing his crossbow at Zenna. In instinct, Zenna grabbed her battle sticks that she had stashed in Stryka's saddlebag and gripped them tightly while her friends surrounded her.

"Well, Zenna! I didn't expect the lady I wanted to be my bride to become such a monster. Eh, good thing I've moved on so I'll have a lot of fun killing you," Dagur said and laughed maniacally before Toothless and Stryka roared in outrage. "You want her, Dagur, you'll have to go through us!" Heather spat venomously. Dagur sighed when he saw his sister. "Ah, Heather, we could have made the perfect team…" he shook his head at her.

Suddenly the barrier before Renegade vanished and the Elemental Bewilderbeast was loose!

Eira was the first to act. "Get Zenna to safety! We'll handle them!" she shouted to Hiccup and Eret before she and the others charged to do battle with Dagur and the Berserkers. "Zen, come on!" Hiccup grabbed his sister's hand and, with Eret at their side, ran up the grand staircase to escape pursuit. "I've been waiting a long time for this!" Heather snarled, as she and her brother faced off. Snotlout and Fishlegs were taking on two Berserkers each with their dragons while Astrid and the Twins were fighting nearest to the staircase. Cinder, Frost, Bloom, and Zap were dive bombing any Berserker they could see while shrieking like mad harpies.

Dagur laughed his deranged laugh as Heather charged at him with her double-bladed battle axe before nimbly leaping out of her grasp! "I learned that from you, sis!" Dagur sneered before running right past Astrid, Stormfly, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Barf and Belch! "Stop!" Eira tried to block him but Dagur merely walked through her. "Poor ghost…Wish you were still alive, huh? Whoops!" Dagur cackled, dodging Eira's magic blasts. "We gotta go after him!" Heather yelled. But, try as they might, they were surrounded by the Berserkers and had to continue fighting. Suddenly one Berserker soldier shouted, "Throw the firebomb!" and a small smoking object hurtled through the air, landing next to Renegade.

**KABOOM!**

The force of the explosion was so powerful that it knocked everyone off their feet and Renegade was gravely injured, an entire wall of the palace falling on him. The Berserkers, having ducked behind shields, smirked and congratulated themselves as they saw that the Dragon Riders and their dragons, as well as the Quadruplet Elemental Dragons, had been knocked unconscious in the explosion. What they failed to account for was Eira disappearing to warn Zenna, Hiccup, and Eret.

* * *

Meanwhile, Zenna, Hiccup, Eret, and their dragons had just reached the Northern section of the palace connected to the topmost balcony when Zenna suddenly doubled over in pain and screamed in agony. "Aaaaaaaaaagggghhhh!" the one-eyed Dragon Doctor screamed, falling to her knees. "Zen!" Eret shouted in alarm as he and Hiccup tried to help her up. "Something…something happened to Renegade…and the Quadruplets…I…I can feel their pain…" Zenna moaned, curling up on her side. "Zenna…" Hiccup breathed out worriedly just as Eira appeared. "They used a fire bomb…Dagur's headed this way…" she warned them. "We need to help her move. Hiccup, take her right side and I'll take her left. Eira, you, Toothless, Stryka, and Skullcrusher hold Dagur off for as long as you can," Eret commanded, nodding to the dragons. Toothless, Stryka, and Skullcrusher growled in affirmation and took their positions alongside Eira. "Zen, come on…" Eret murmured as he and Hiccup heaved Zenna to her feet. Still in pain, Zenna managed a slight nod and staggered off with them. That's when _another _firebomb blew up the door concealing their hiding place! "Run!" Eira yelled to the trio as she and the dragons opened fire at Dagur and the Berserker soldiers that had joined him. But Dagur and his men were prepared, throwing bolas and Dragon Nip at Toothless, Stryka, and Skullcrusher to immobilize them.

As for Eira, she fought valiantly until Dagur took a small black box out of his pocket. "I've been wanting to try this," the Berserker chief smirked evilly and opened the box. Before Eira could realize what was happening, she found herself trapped inside the box and completely chained up! '_Dark magic…How can a mere human possess such an item?!_' Eira thought in horror and tried to break out of her dark prison. But the magic inside the box was too powerful for Eira to combat. The only thing she could do now was hope that Dagur hadn't stashed the box somewhere and someone would find her. Dagur threw the black box away, where it skidded to a corner, and motioned for his men to follow him.

* * *

Recovering quickly from the pain, Zenna gripped her battle sticks tightly and shook the boys off. "If they catch up to us…I'm going down fighting," she said, her voice steely. "Zen, you need to get to safety. Eret and I'll take care of Dagur," Hiccup said. "No way, Hicc. You two fight, I fight," Zenna shook her head. Hiccup looked to Eret for backup but even the former dragon trapper couldn't convince Zenna to stay on the sidelines. "If she's not budging, Chief, I say we let her fight with us," Eret sighed but glanced worriedly at Zenna. Nodding, Hiccup turned to Zenna. "All right, Zen. But first sign of trouble, try to escape," he instructed her. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that," Zenna murmured just as Dagur and his soldiers caught up with them.

"Now, now, Hiccup, be reasonable. Surrender Zenna to me and I'll let your people go free," Dagur said evilly. "What are you talking about, Dagur?" Hiccup narrowed his eyes at the deranged maniac. "Oh, while you and your Dragon dunderheads were chasing after that one-eyed witch…I might have…staged a coup attempt on Berk, locked up all of the dragons and threw your people in the dungeons. Unfortunately, some of them escaped. And I believe, Zenna, that three of them were members of your family. It would be a shame if you didn't come back to Berk to save them…" Dagur said coldly, fingering the blade of his axe. Zenna and Hiccup both paled but Eret glared at Dagur in defiance. "You're bluffing," the former dragon trapper drew his sword. Dagur looked at him curiously before laughing.

"Eret, Son of Eret, at last we meet. I've heard about you. So _you're _the lucky man who swept my former love, Zenna, off her feet! I should thank you. I would have ended up marrying a wicked sorceress if you didn't take her. Ah, it's a good thing I met Thora…"

Eret nearly dropped his sword while Hiccup's mouth dropped open in shock. Zenna, on the other hand, could have given the two men an '_I told you so_' look but she was paralyzed by fear and worry for her family.

"Thora? _Thora the Vagabond_? But…she said she broke up with her boyfriend because he pretended she was invisible…" Eret muttered, reeling in shock, but Dagur merely laughed. "Oh, she sure knows how to fool people, my dear Thora. It was so easy to send her to Berk and masquerade as a common traveller. Befriending her, Eret, was a great advantage since you let her get in close with the Chief and his followers. All the better to get more information," Dagur smirked. Eret fought the urge to march straight up to Dagur and punch his lights out and kept his sword drawn while Dagur proceeded to mock Hiccup.

"Hiccup, my dear brother, I believe your chiefing still needs a lot of work. Don't you know that sniffing out an enemy spy is one of the basic things a Chief should master? I can't believe only _Zenna _suspected her," Dagur chuckled. Hiccup could only look down at the floor in shame as Dagur locked eyes with Zenna. "That's right, Zen. She told me all about it. How you desperately tried to warn your friends about her and the oncoming siege on Berk by the Berserkers and _failed _to do so…all because of a little magical secret you so wanted to hide…" the Berserker chief sneered. Zenna glared daggers, axes, swords, maces, spears, and whatever deadly weapon she could think of at him.

The Berserkers had surrounded them now and it looked like the only way out was to fight for it.

"How about this, hm? Come quietly with us, let us _kill _you…and maybe we'll show Berk mercy," Dagur offered. Hiccup finally lifted his head up and Zenna and Eret could see his emerald green eyes blazing with fury. "Fun fact about us Berkians, Dagur…We don't exactly like to come quietly," he said coolly, drawing Inferno out. "And if you want Zenna, you have to get through me and Eret," the one-legged Chief declared, Eret drawing another sword and standing by him. Miffed at Hiccup's refusal to surrender, Dagur cried out, "ATTACK!" and the trio were attacked from all sides!

While Eret and Hiccup fought with their swords, Zenna fought with her battle sticks and Elementals. She snared a Berserker in vines, froze three in place, sent four running for fear of her fire and made another speak post-lightning-ese while using her battle sticks in combat. "Another thing about us Berkians! We _never _surrender!" she yelled, firing a blast of her magic at Dagur.

After what she did to Hiccup and Eret earlier, Zenna swore to never use her magic to hurt anyone ever again.

But for Dagur and the Berserkers, she'll make an exception.

However, Dagur was as cunning as he was deranged. A large chandelier was hanging from the ceiling in the room and Hiccup and Eret were right under it. He aimed for the chain keeping the chandelier aloft and, then, threw it. At that moment, Zenna had just subdued the last of Dagur's men when she saw the axe break the chain and the chandelier began to fall! Quickly, Zenna took to the air and grabbed the chain before it fell on Hiccup and Eret. The two men heard her yell, "Move out of the way!" and scrambled to get out of the chandelier's path before Zenna's strength gave out and it came crashing to the floor.

But before Zenna could breathe in relief for saving her two boys, a pair of bolas suddenly wrapped around her body and she was tumbling down, down, down…

Eret and Hiccup had barely escaped getting crushed by the chandelier, getting a few cuts when it shattered on the floor. A yelp got their attention and they both looked up to see Zenna, ensnared, fall to the ground with a heavy _thud_.

When she didn't get up, both turned towards Dagur with enraged eyes.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Hiccup and Eret roared, charging at Dagur with their weapons raised. Dagur smiled nastily and took out another firebomb and, walking away from the blast zone, chucked it at them.

**KABOOM!**

The explosion sent Hiccup and Eret flying into opposite walls of the palace, both of them getting knocked out as their heads met the walls with two solid _cracks!_

"That takes care of that," Dagur dusted off his hand and walked over to Zenna, who was still unconscious. Picking her up and slinging her over his shoulder like a sack, Dagur freed his trapped men. Once that was over, they left Eret and Hiccup where they were, bleeding and out cold. Passing by Toothless, Stryka, and Skullcrusher, Dagur could see that the three dragons were already conscious and thrashing about, trying to escape from the bolas. Seeing her Rider in Dagur's clutches, Stryka struggled even more and low growls came out of her muzzled mouth. Ignoring the dragons, the Berserkers marched on. They went past the fallen Riders and their dragons, left the palace, trekked through the Isle of Zen and, after throwing Zenna in the cell below one of their boats, set sail for Berk.

* * *

The first thing Heather knew when she came to was that Dagur was gone along with his men. Shaking her head to get rid of the dizziness, Heather stood up and saw that her friends were also regaining consciousness.

"Renegade!"

"Don't worry, big little bro, we're gonna get you out of there!"

"When I get my claws on that Dagur, I'm going to incinerate him so bad that his own frickin' mother won't recognize him!"

"Cinder, rant later! We gotta get him out!"

Bloom, Zap, Cinder, and Frost were struggling to free Renegade from the rubble. The injured Elemental Bewilderbeast let out a weak rumble as his older siblings and the other dragons freed him. "I can't believe Dagur got away…" Snotlout mumbled, shaking his head in disbelief. Fishlegs suddenly went pale and squeaked out, "Whe-where are Eira, Eret, Hiccup, and Zenna?"

All of the Riders looked at each other nervously before Astrid took charge. "Snotlout, Fishlegs, take care of Renegade. Ruff, Tuff, find Eira. Heather and I'll look for Hiccup and Eret," the Hofferson warrior commanded.

Snotlout and Fishlegs stayed with the dragons to help Renegade while the Twins accompanied Heather and Astrid up the stairs. Finding Toothless, Stryka, and Skullcrusher ensnared was bad enough. But, while the Twins freed the three dragons, Heather spotted a black box in a corner that was rattling like crazy while Astrid went on ahead. Upon opening it, Heather let out a yelp and backed away when Eira suddenly came out of the box in a flash of gray light. "That lunatic bastard…He was in possession of an item filled with dark magic! How he got his hands on it…" Eira shook her head. Heather was about to inquire about what she meant by dark magic when she heard Astrid's scream.

"Oh, my gods! Heather, I need your help here!"

Not wasting another second, Heather ran to where Astrid was along with the dragons. To her horror, Astrid was cradling Hiccup's bleeding head in her lap while trying to support Eret who was also unconscious and bleeding. "Odin…" Heather breathed out as she helped her blonde friend bandage both men's injured heads. The Twins had arrived with Toothless, Stryka, and Skullcrusher and gasped. Toothless and Skullcrusher, naturally, freaked out and lumbered over to the Riders and whined, hoping they would wake up. Once the blood had been cleaned up (_the wounds weren't too deep and, thankfully, had stopped bleeding_) and Hiccup and Eret had both been bandaged, Astrid and Heather thought that they would just have to wait for them to wake up before they could come up with a plan.

Then the Twins noticed something.

"Um, Astrid…Has Hiccup _ever _had patches of black hair mixed with his regular hair?" Tuffnut asked, pointing to some of the choppy parts of Hiccup's bangs. Astrid fingered her boyfriend's auburn locks and discovered that some strands had turned as black as Toothless' scales. "What…?" she managed to say before Ruffnut yelped, "Ah! Since when does black hair turn white like that so fast?!" and sharply looked to Eret. To her increasing horror, a streak of white appeared in Eret's hair. Looking at Heather, Astrid could she that she had seen this before because she immediately locked eyes with her.

"We need to take them to my grandfather, _now_."

* * *

**Uh oh…what happens now?**

**I hope to finish this before New Year's so wish me luck, people!**

**-GuardianDragon98**


	19. 18: Old Wrinkly

**Okay, guys, I'm currently in a rush to finish this story before New Year's day so I'm sorry if this isn't exactly top-notch story quality. But I hope you will still like this.**

**NOTE I DO NOT OWN HTTYD**

* * *

**Chapter 18: Old Wrinkly's Solution**

Back on Berk, Zenna woke up on a thin cot with her arms chained to the floor and her hands completely covered. Shaking her aching head, Zenna made her way towards the only window and saw the damage her Elementals had wrought.

Flames could be seen licking away at the forests in the distance, storm clouds hung over Berk, sending lightning bolts everywhere, thorny vines crept all over the village and almost everything was frozen!

"No…What have I done…?" Zenna breathed out in horror just as the door to her cell opened. "Indeed, what _have _you done, Dr. Fiersome?" Thora asked, stepping inside. Zenna glared at her fiercely and tried to send a fireball at her but her bound hands couldn't summon her Fire magic or any of her Elementals for that matter! "You! _You're_ the one who tipped Dagur off!" she snarled. "Pretty sure that my boyfriend already told you that earlier at that fight at your palace. Anyway, you should be the least bit grateful to me. When he came back with you, Dagur had plans to rape you while you were unconscious. I stopped him with a threat I'd use my powers on him," Thora said breezily. "What?!" Zenna exclaimed shrilly, feeling sickened and shocked all at the same time.

"You're not the only one with magic, Zenna," Thora smirked and black fire ignited in her palm and fired it at the window, shattering it! "How…?" Zenna breathed out. "I just so happen to come from a long line of dark magic users. Unfortunately, foolish people, much like you Berkians, feared and slaughtered every last one of us. I'm the only one left. When Dagur and I marry, we will have an heir with my abilities and we can destroy Berk and anyone who stands in our way," Thora sneered before turning to leave. "Hope you're used to the cold," she said coldly as she left Zenna alone to freeze in her miserable prison. The one-eyed Fiersome sat on the bed, ignoring the cold, and pondered on what to do. If Thora was a dark sorceress and allied with Dagur…things would be thrown into chaos.

'_I have to get out of here and stop them! Argh, if only my friends were here…_' Zenna thought before noticing that her shackles were freezing over…

* * *

Hiccup felt something blowing warm air on his face and weakly opened his eyes. Toothless crooned and tenderly licked his Rider's hair. "Bud, you know that doesn't wash out…" Hiccup chuckled and sat up…only to bang his head on a low ceiling beam! "Ow!" Hiccup yelped before hearing someone else go, "Ow!" and turned his head to see Eret awake and sitting up on a thin cot, Skullcrusher nudging him. "Hey, Eret," Hiccup greeted his friend as he swung his legs off the bed he was on. "Hey, Chief," Eret sighed and got out of bed. Looking around, the two of them knew that they definitely weren't at Zenna's palace anymore or even at Berk but in someone else's hut.

"Where are we?" Hiccup wondered out loud. "The last thing I remember was Dagur tossing that firebomb at us and…" Eret managed to say before paling along with Hiccup. "Zenna…" Hiccup breathed out and, then, they went outside. To their surprise, they saw all their friends gathered around an iron cauldron that was being stirred by an old man with a long beard and smoking a pipe.

"Hiccup! Eret!" Astrid cried out, seeing the two awake, and rushed to them. "Astrid, what's going on? Where are we?" Hiccup asked his Milady, completely confused. Eret then saw the old man and recognized him. "Old Wrinkly?" he called out tentatively. "Ah, Eret, my boy! Long time no see!" Heather's grandfather tottered over to him and, being a bit vertically challenged, yanked Eret's head down to his eye level. "You've grown up since the last time I saw you. Take after your father, I see, but you have your mother's eyes," the old alchemist chuckled. Eret smiled a little before noticing that Heather was anxiously watching the cauldron along with all of the other Riders.

Suddenly Eira floated over to him and Hiccup and worriedly looked them over. "This is bad…It's accelerating at an even faster rate than I feared…" the ghost mumbled fearfully. "What is?" Hiccup and Eret both asked before they both felt the effects of being struck in the hearts by Zenna's magic. "Is it just me or did the air suddenly turn warmer?" Hiccup muttered, feeling hot all of a sudden. "Warmer? Hiccup, it feels like the middle of Devastating Winter…" Eret shivered.

Cinder, Frost, Bloom, and Zap looked at each other nervously.

"Oh, no…" Heather gulped and began stirring the brew in the cauldron faster. "Hiccup, Eret, where exactly did Zenna's magic strike you two?" Astrid asked slowly. Both men pointed to their chests. Eira, if she could have, would have paled to the point of being completely translucent. "Uh oh…" Snotlout gulped. "All right, you guys are acting odd. What's going on?" Eret asked them. "I-if you two got struck in the heart, then, th-that means you two will…" Fishlegs squeaked and began to freak out until Ruffnut quieted him by stuffing her fist into his mouth while Old Wrinkly brought them forward to the cauldron.

"What type of magic did Zenna use on you two?" Old Wrinkly asked them. "It was an accident but, if I remember correctly, she used Fire and Ice magic on us," Hiccup replied, beginning to feel uncomfortable due to the heat that seemed to be coming from within him. Old Wrinkly thoughtfully pulled at his beard and, from a small bag, took out a pinch of some sort of powder and sprinkled it into the brew Heather was mixing.

The same time a large cloud of red and blue smoke came out of the cauldron, Eret and Hiccup both yelped and fell to their knees. Eret felt a cold unlike anything he had ever felt before fill his bones and several strands of his hair turned white. As for Hiccup, he felt as if he was being roasted alive and patches of his auburn hair turned black as coal! Toothless and Skullcrusher yelped and tried to do something to make it stop but they couldn't do anything. Skullcrusher nuzzled his snout into Eret's palm and shuddered, feeling its iciness and desperately tried to warm his master up by draping a wing over him. Toothless, upon feeling Hiccup's temperature rise, proceeded to flap his wings in an attempt to cool his best friend down. It did little to help, however, as their Riders were slowly being sapped of their strength and looked ready to pass out!

"Quickly, breathe it in!" Heather shouted frantically, pointing to the smoke. Once they had inhaled the strange smoke, Hiccup and Eret felt most of the intense weakness leave them and staggered to their feet. "What just happened…?" Hiccup said, woozy. "Just as I feared…" Old Wrinkly muttered fretfully. "What exactly are you fearing?" Eret asked him, getting a bad gut feeling. "There is fire and ice put into your hearts by Zenna. If, not removed, will you two perish," Heather's grandfather said grimly. "Wait! So Hiccup's going to burst into flames while Eret turns to solid ice?!" Tuffnut asked loudly. Old Wrinkly merely sighed heavily. "B-but that means…" Ruffnut trailed off and looked at Eret and Hiccup worriedly. "We're going to die," Hiccup said emotionlessly and glanced at Eret, whose expression mirrored his own. Astrid looked at Heather and Old Wrinkly pleadingly.

"There has to be something you can do for the both of them. Anything, please!" the Hofferson shield maiden said desperately. "I'm sorry, Astrid, but there's nothing much we can do…" Heather said sadly before suddenly remembering something. "Unless…Grandpa, what did you once say about undoing curses in the heart?" she asked. "Ah, yes, an old friend of mine once told me this. A strike of magic to the head can easily be cured. But if it is the heart that has been struck…there is only one way to cure it. And that is by an act of true love," Old Wrinkly explained.

"Like true love's kiss?" Snotlout asked. Without waiting for Old Wrinkly's reply, Astrid grabbed Hiccup and pulled him into a kiss. Eret raised an eyebrow at the befuddled Chief as Astrid broke the kiss. "Well that was…wow…" Hiccup mumbled, his lips still tingling with the taste of Astrid's, before noticing his girlfriend's worried face. "You're so warm…" Astrid said, feeling Hiccup's over warm skin. "You feel any different?" Eret asked. Even if there was a chance he wouldn't be cured, the former dragon trapper wanted Hiccup to live. Berk needed their Chief and, honestly, Eret had grown to care for Hiccup as if he were his younger brother and didn't want him to die. To his disappointment, Hiccup shook his head.

"True love's kiss should have worked!" Fishlegs said nervously. Suddenly…

"AAAGGHH!"

Another wave of pain overcome the afflicted Riders but, this time, they saw…

Zenna trapped in her cold cell…

Her Elementals spreading throughout the walls…

Finally, broken shackles and a wall of her cell completely torn down followed by Dagur and Thora bursting in with a group of Berserkers.

Once the pain subsided, Hiccup and Eret looked to their friends. "Zenna needs our help," Hiccup said and shakily got onto Toothless' saddle while Eret got on Skullcrusher. "But you two are in no condition to fly back to Berk! It's too dangerous with all the Berserkers around!" Heather told them. "It's Zenna, Heather! She's the only one who can undo all of this," Eret told her. Old Wrinkly, knowing that there was no stopping the two brave souls, told the team to go back to Berk. "This will slow down the effects. But be swift. It won't be long…" he handed Eret and Hiccup two small vials filled with a special potion. The two drank the potions, nearly gagging at the awful taste, and looked at their dragons.

"I'll be fine, Bud. Don't worry," Hiccup said reassuringly when Toothless warbled worriedly. "He most certainly won't and neither will Skullcrusher because Heather and I'll be taking control," Astrid said, climbing onto Toothless' back. "Don't even try to shake us off," Heather reminded Eret as she got on Skullcrusher. "Wouldn't dream of it," Eret rolled his eyes.

With that, the group of Dragon Riders took flight along with the Quadruplet Elemental dragons. Eira, strangely, lingered for a moment.

"Lady Eira, we have to go!" "Time's a'wastin'!" "Zenna and Berk need us!" "Come on, let's go!"

Eira turned to Old Wrinkly and asked, "You know what an act of true love really is, don't you?" to which Old Wrinkly smiled and replied with, "As well as you and I both know that there are two special kinds of love in this world of ours."

Nodding, Eira floated off the ground and joined her friends in the air.

Their mission?

Find Zenna and help her defeat Dagur, Thora, and take back Berk.

* * *

**I'm trying to deviate a little from the Frozen plot here…If you guys have suggestions, feel free to leave them in the reviews.**

**-GuardianDragon98**


	20. 19: Thora the Dark Sorceress

**In attempt to deviate a bit from the plot of Frozen…I give you this! I hope you all enjoy it and not think of it too poorly-written. Enjoy!**

**NOTE: I DO NOT OWN HTTYD!**

* * *

**Chapter 19: Thora the Dark Sorceress**

Two Berserker guards stationed outside the dungeons' entrance were miserably using their torches to have a small degree of warmth as the blizzard intensified. Suddenly the call of, "The witch has escaped! Search the village!" came up and they abandoned their posts.

Once both guards had left, along with all the other guards keeping watch over the prisoners inside the dungeons, the ragtag group of escapees snuck out of their hiding places. "Berserkers…bloodthirsty but buffoons when it comes to keys…" Alvin chuckled, grabbing a set of keys hanging off the wall, and walked to the several cells to use them. Savage and Gobber had managed to stop by the armory earlier and, with Edgar and Henna's help, smuggled as many weapons as they could into the dungeons. El, for his part, was very good in keeping Mildew quiet by scaring the old cabbage farmer with his imitation of his older siblings' Fiersome Glare. Spitelout and Valka had broken off from the group to head to the Dragon Hangar, where the dragons had been locked up, and they hoped they hadn't been captured.

"Arm yourselves as best as you can. And be prepared for the extreme weather. Our daughter's broken out of prison…let's get out there and help her," Edgar said seriously. "Can we trust her, though? _She _caused all of this in the first place…" one villager, a former follower of Mildew's dragon hating ways, asked cautiously. "That's what I've been telling you lot! For all we know, she could have allied with the Berserkers!" Mildew howled. "Shut it!" El and Savage both snapped at him. Henna then fixed a steely gaze at all of the freed Berkians and Meatheads.

"Ask yourselves: In all the years you have known Zenna, has she ever wished to harm you?" she asked in a tone that meant all business, but showed her fierce love for her only daughter.

Nobody dared to say 'yes' and, frankly, couldn't think along the same lines. Sure, she pulled off a couple pranks when she was in a playful mood, but everyone knew that Zenna was one to never harm someone. In fact, she was one of the gentlest people on Berk.

"Would she ever desert us for the enemy?"

Shakes of heads answered Henna's second question. They all knew that Zenna's loyalty to Berk stemmed from her loyalty to Hiccup. And chances of Zenna deserting the Chief, who just so happened to be her best human friend _and _brother not by blood but by bond, were as good as Mildew becoming a dragon lover.

"If you had been in her position, powerful magic out of control, afraid of causing more harm than good, what would you do if the Berserkers had attacked?"

Everyone looked at each other nervously and didn't say anything until the Ironside Family, good friends of Zenna, the Fiersome family, and Eret, stepped forward. "We would fight!" Daniel, the eldest child in the Ironside Family, said bravely. "And we would try to control our magic in order to use it to help us fight!" Anya declared. "We would fight the Berserkers to free Berk to our very last breath!" Orland, the youngest, proclaimed courageously. "I stand by Zenna and her family. Who cares if she's a bit different now with that fancy magic of hers? To my family and I, she is still our good friend and we will fight alongside her to the very end," Tristan, the Ironside patriarch, smiled in assurance. "And if anyone tries to harm Zenna while we are in battle…they'll regret doing it in my family's presence," Kirsten, the matriarch and handy with a sword, warned everyone.

After a few moments of looking at each other, all the freed Berkians and Meatheads took arms. "Into battle!" Savage cried out while Gobber bellowed, "DEATH OR GLORY!"

"INTO BATTLE! DEATH OR GLORY!" everyone yelled at the top of their lungs and, with the Fiersome family leading them, charged out of the dungeons.

The Final Berserker Skirmish had begun!

* * *

At the same time all the warriors had broken out, Valka and Spitelout had managed to make it to the Dragon Hangar without being spotted. The dragons were, needless to say, glad to see some familiar faces and, once they had been freed, flew the coop once Spitelout had opened the Hangar door. "They'll be an unpleasant surprise for Dagur and his army," Spitelout chuckled before noticing that Valka was looking out onto the horizon. "What is it, Val?" Spitelout asked, following his dear deceased brother's wife's gaze to see a familiar group of dragons flying their way.

"It's Hiccup!" Valka exclaimed, recognizing Toothless from a mile away. But, as the Night Fury drew closer, Valka noticed that something was wrong. Her son was slumped forward on the saddle and Astrid was sitting behind him and doing most of the flying. '_Odin, what's happened to my baby?_' Valka thought worriedly as she and Spitelout heard the other Riders' frantic shouts.

* * *

"Berk is up ahead!" Zap shouted as they emerged from the storm clouds and saw the island up ahead. The wind was really starting to pick up and lightning bolts came crashing down mercilessly. "Whoa! Watch out!" Frost warned as he and the dragons dodged them. "Zenna must be in grave danger…" Bloom murmured worriedly. "Well, we can't give up just yet! That Dagur and his wicked witch of a girlfriend, Thora, need to be taken care of!" Cinder said, flaming up alongside Hookfang.

Snotlout and Fishlegs then saw several moving shapes and both took out their telescopes. "What in the name of Thor…? Are those the Meatheads?" Snotlout asked in surprise, spotting Alvin and Savage among several warriors battling the Berserkers. "They are! It looks like everyone's managed to escape!" Fishlegs shouted and screamed as several dragons suddenly came flying out of the Dragon Hangar! "Let's charge in and help them!" Ruffnut yelled. "And blow the ships up!" Tuffnut hollered, pointing to the Berserker ships anchored around Berk.

Eira thought that that was a good strategy. If they destroyed the Berserker ships, the Berserkers wouldn't be able to escape even with the ocean having frozen over. Already, she could see any able dragon circling around Berk and picking off any Berserkers who tried to escape on foot. Now it was only a matter of finding Dagur and Thora. If they could capture the leaders, the Berserkers would have no choice but to surrender. But there was also the matter of finding Zenna to undo the affliction on Hiccup and Eret. Glancing at Toothless and Skullcrusher, who were flying side-by-side, Eira could see that not even Old Wrinkly's potions could hold off the effects of Zenna's magic for very long.

Astrid could barely touch Hiccup now because his body temperature had spiked to dangerously high levels. Heck, his skin was even beginning to steam! And Hiccup's auburn hair, down to the three braids Astrid had woven for him, had turned black as coal. Hiccup was barely able to see straight, his vision fading in and out of focus, and he felt like he was suffering from an extreme case of heat exhaustion. Everything felt too hot and he desperately wanted Toothless to blast a hole in the ice covering the ocean and jump into the water to cool off. "Just one dip, Astrid…I can't take it…" Hiccup moaned and tried to slide off of the saddle but his girlfriend had an iron grip on his waist. "Oh no, you don't, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III! We are going to find Zenna and have her perform that 'act of true love' to fix this! And don't go jumping into the ocean on me right now, we're close!" Astrid told him sternly while internally freaking out. "Hang on! I…I think I see someone at the Dragon Hangar!" Heather shouted and Snotlout quickly tossed his telescope to her. Peering through the lens, Heather spotted Valka and Spitelout waving at them frantically and giving them the signal to land. "It's Valka and Spitelout!" the warrior/apprentice alchemist alerted the team. "Oh, g-good…M-m-ayb-be we sh-sh-should t-t-tell them what we kn-know…about D-d-dagur and Th-th-th-thora…" Eret said, his teeth chattering, and tried to wrap his coat around himself even more tightly. The former dragon trapper wasn't faring too well either. His hair had turned completely white as snow and his skin had paled to almost match it. He was shaking uncontrollably, too, and felt cold. This wasn't like when he had fallen into the Cove's pond last year in winter. This was worse, much, much worse…

Eira then decided to make some decisions that would prove to be very useful. "Snotlout, Fishlegs, Ruff, Tuff, all of you join the battle! Cinder, Bloom, Frost, and Zap, the four of you have to go find Zenna! Astrid, Heather, you two take Hiccup and Eret to a safe location and I'll keep them safe until Zenna is found while you both join the fight!" she ordered. "Uh…who put _her _in charge?" Tuffnut asked, confused as to why a ghost, of all people, was now leading them. "WE HAVE A WAR TO FIGHT! THERE'S NO TIME TO WASTE!" Eira thundered, her Elementals flaring up, impatiently. "Just do what she says…" Hiccup muttered, agreeing to Eira's plan. "Wh-what he s-s-s-said…" Eret stuttered, weakly waving them off.

Not wanting to argue with a powerful ghost, everyone split up to do their part while Toothless, Stryka, Stormfly, Windshear, and Skullcrusher were the only ones to enter the Dragon Hangar. "_Hiccup!_" Valka cried out in horror as Astrid helped her son off of Toothless. "Odin's Ghost, what happened to you both?!" Spitelout asked Eret and Hiccup, who were both being held up by their dragons. "Long story…but you guys should know that Thora tipped Dagur off…She's a Berserker…" Hiccup muttered. Spitelout let out a curse while Valka paled. "I should have known when she didn't come back…" Valka muttered to herself, wanting nothing more than to give that traitorous Berserker in Vagabond's clothing what for. "D-don't blame yours-s-s-elf, Valka…It's my f-f-fault she got in…" Eret managed to say, shivering violently.

"We'll need to get you two somewhere safe…at least until we find out where Zenna's gone…" Eira said thoughtfully before, all of a sudden, a large hole opened up in the ground and giant black tendrils of flame shot out of it!

"_**You little fools…Think you can sneak past me?**_**"**

Thora's taunting voice rang in Eira, Eret, and Hiccup's ears before the tendrils grabbed them! "No!" Valka cried out in alarm. "Hiccup!" Astrid screamed and lunged for her boyfriend who was frantically trying to free himself from the tendrils of flame that had grabbed his ankles. "Don't let go! Don't let go!" Heather yelled at Eret as she held onto his freezing hands while Spitelout tried to get rid of the flames by cutting the tendrils down with his sword. "T-t-trying!" Eret managed to shout, the fear of being dragged away by Thora's dark magic making him forget about his condition for a moment, and desperately tried to kick his way to freedom. Eira used her Elementals to combat Thora's dark magic but the black flames only seemed to burn more fiercely as she fought against them.

"_**Why do you three resist so much? Dagur dear and I just want to have a little CHAT with you!"**_

Thora's voice rang loudly in their ears before more flame tendrils shot out of the hole and completely wrapped themselves around Hiccup, Eret, and Eira! "No!" Astrid and Heather screamed before being forced back by the flames and, with Valka and Spitelout, helplessly watched as the three prisoners were pulled into the hole that magically sealed up once the three had been taken.

* * *

Meanwhile, Zenna had gotten herself hopelessly lost. In the midst of all the confusion, she had managed to wind up about half a mile away from Berk while searching for Dagur. Looking up at the sky, Zenna could definitely tell that her powers had gone out of control. A harsh blizzard had formed, sending snow and ice whipping everywhere in the wind and lightning came down from the storm clouds gathered all above Berk. And, when she looked back at the island, Zenna could make out the distant glow of the wildfires burning through the forests and the vines growing wild.

'_I have to try and stop this…'_ she thought and, closing her eye, concentrated. She was no longer afraid of her powers and she believed that she could control them. She willed her magic to be calm, to cease, to make everything go back to normal. But, strangely, it felt as if something was resisting her control. Zenna didn't know what it was but it felt…dark, evil…and she hated it.

"_**Do you really think mere willpower from you can stop me, Zenna?"**_

Thora's voice pulled Zenna out of her focus and her eye snapped open in horror. "Thora…I should have known…" the one-eyed Dragon Doctor snarled. _**"You really should have, Dr. Fiersome. I have to say, though, that your will to undo everything your magic caused is strong…but it's not strong enough to combat MY will to let everything escalate into chaos," **_Thora sneered in her head. "I don't suppose _you're _the reason why my curse didn't lift when I decided to accept my magic for what it was?" Zenna asked sarcastically, practically shaking with rage. Thora laughed in her head before proceeding to continue taunting her.

"_**Bravo, Zen, you catch on pretty quick! That's right. When you decided to fully embrace being an Elemental, all of the effects on Berk caused by your magic should have returned to you, the very source. Your, as you say, curse on Berk should have been lifted. But, you didn't count on me to be back on your home and performing a powerful counter-spell to prevent the curse from being lifted. So, unless you get rid of me, you can just kick back and relax while Dagur and I destroy Berk before we destroy you. Hahaha! What are you gonna do now, second Dragon Master?"**_

"Get your sorry ass here, you bitch, and fight me! Coward, where are you?!" Zenna shouted to the skies, her four colored streaks glowing as her Elementals flared up. _**"Oh, don't worry, Zenna. I'll come. Right after Dagur and I have a little chat with your ancestor, your one-legged brother, and your ex – fiancé…Till then…stay where you are…unless you want to see your boys dead the next time you see them…" **_Thora's voice sneered before completely disappearing from Zenna's head.

Zenna felt as if all the wind had been knocked out of her as she realized who the three people Thora was referring to were. She wanted so badly to rush to their rescue but she had a feeling that Thora meant business. If she dared move away from where she was, Dagur and Thora would kill Hiccup and Eret. It's a miracle they hadn't targeted El or any other member of her family nor did they seek to kill any of her friends. But Hiccup and Eret…they were Dagur and Thora's marks. If Zenna moved one toe out of line, they would suffer the consequences.

"Zenna!"

"Mistress!"

"Wait, Zen, wait!"

"Zenna, hold on for a sec'!"

Cinder, Bloom, Frost, and Zap had just spotted their creator and flew over to her. All four dragons looked terrified. "We've been looking everywhere for you! We need you to get to Hiccup and Eret right now!" Cinder said frantically. "I can't…" Zenna said hollowly. "WHAT?!" Frost and Zap exclaimed in shock. "If I leave this spot, they'll be killed. I have to stay here until Thora and Dagur come to fight me," Zenna explained. "But, Zenna, Hiccup and Eret…they're _dying_. The magic afflicting their hearts is eating at them bit by bit. If you don't come to them soon…" Bloom trailed off, unable to meet her Mistress Zenna's gaze. Zenna could have sworn her heart had stopped beating for one second when Bloom said that. Hiccup and Eret, two of the five _(with the other three being her Dad, Elias, and El) _men in her life, were dying…because of her. If she didn't go to them, they would die anyway.

They might even die before Dagur and Thora would have the chance to kill them…

Throwing Thora's warning out the metaphorical window, Zenna nodded to the Quadruplet Elemental Dragons. "Let's find them real quick…" she said, taking one step.

Big mistake.

One step away from where she stood was enough for Zenna to be completely imprisoned in a ring of dark fire! And when she tried to fly up using her ethereal wings, Zenna ended up trapped in a flaming cage!

"Find Hiccup and Eret! Thora and Dagur have them! Go!" Zenna screamed to Cinder, Bloom, Frost, and Zap. With the new sense of urgency, the Quadruplet Elemental Dragons took flight. _'Holy Shields, Hiccup, Eret…please hang in there and wait for me…' _Zenna thought miserably, blaming herself once again for the whole fiasco, as she used her Elementals to try freeing herself from her prison but to no avail.

* * *

When Hiccup came to, he realized that he was in the Great Hall…completely chained up. A small groan made the young Chief glance to his right and he saw Eret just coming out of consciousness. "You okay?" Hiccup asked, a bit surprised on how weak his voice sounded. "I've been better…" Eret muttered, his voice also sounding really weak. There was a small crack of light shining through the Great Hall's doors and Hiccup could see Eret a little. "Wow…you don't look too good…" Hiccup remarked, taking in Eret's pale skin and white hair. Eret chuckled weakly, seeing Hiccup's black hair and slightly reddened skin, and said, "Neither do you, Chief…"

Both of them were chained up rather close to each other and, odd as their position was, Eret and Hiccup found that the effects of Zenna's magic were being negated. "We shall never speak of this," Hiccup said seriously, sidling closer to Eret. "We take this to our graves," Eret nodded in agreement, doing the same. "Hey…good to see you both awake…" a small voice said from above. Looking up, Hiccup and Eret saw Eira chained up as well and encased in some sort of magic orb. "Eira, are you okay?" Hiccup asked worriedly. "Aside from being a spirit completely chained in an orb of dark magic, I'm doing just great…" Eira sighed. "How'd you even get captured like us? You're a ghost and can practically disappear…" Eret gave her a confused look. "Dark magic. That's one way of containing spirits…" Eira told him.

Then the doors flew open, making Hiccup and Eret quickly move away from each other, and Dagur and Thora entered.

"Feeling comfy, you three?" Dagur smirked nastily at the chained duo and trapped ghost. Hiccup, Eira, and Eret merely gave him death glares. "Hmmm…someone used a potion on you two to keep the effects of Zenna's magic at bay temporarily. I can fix that," Thora smiled evilly and snapped her fingers. All of a sudden, a dark aura surrounded Hiccup and Eret! "Aaaaggghhh!" both men screamed as they felt the effects of Zenna's magic spread faster throughout their bodies. "Stop! Leave them alone!" Eira screamed and used her Lightning magic to try and zap Thora and Dagur while using her Ice magic to freeze the chains and break them but it didn't work. The only result was the orb shrinking and making her feel more cramped.

"Ah, you and your dark magic, Thora…never cease to amaze me," Dagur purred, kissing Thora on the cheek. "H-how did you…?" Hiccup gasped out once he managed to slightly recover from the sudden magic assault. "I'm a dark sorceress, a master of all cruel magic, hexes, curses - the whole package deal of nastiness," Thora stated proudly. "So _she's _the one who gave you that box used to contain me back in the palace!" Eira glared at Dagur, who merely smirked. "First, a Berserker – in – disguise. Now, a dark sorceress? Why did I ever let myself get fooled by you…?" Eret muttered, feeling guilty.

Dagur laughed and taunted him all the more. "I can't believe an idiot like you could ever deem yourself worthy of someone like Zenna! Gullible, easily manipulated…not to mention a former slave," he sneered, making Eret look down at the floor in shame. "Lay off, Dagur! I know you're only targeting me so leave him out of this!" Hiccup growled. "You're mistaken, Chief Hiccup. Dagur and I are targeting every last one of you. Zenna, Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, the Twins, all you Dragon Riders. Each of you played a part in disgracing the Berserkers' pride and honor as well as making my dear Dagur's sister, Heather, turn against him. With Zenna currently occupied and your friends fighting a losing battle, nothing will stop Dagur and I from taking over. All we have to do is leave you and Eret to die. That'll break Zenna's spirit and, then, we kill her. After that, well, the rest will follow," Thora giggled, sounding almost as insane as her lunatic boyfriend. "Or maybe Thora and I'll take you to her first. We'll break _your _spirits first by making you two watch us torture and kill her!" Dagur suggested, earning a laugh from his girlfriend.

"You bastards!" Eret snarled, suddenly standing up, and lunged at the two. "If either of you two touch one hair on her head, we'll kill you!" Hiccup practically screamed and threw himself at Dagur only to be held back by the chains. Another surge of pain overwhelmed the duo and forced them to their knees. Dagur let out another one of his deranged laughs. "Oh, the irony! Zenna, the woman you two are trying to save, is going to be the very death of you both!" he cackled. "Well, we'll leave you two to die. Dagur and I have an Elemental to dispose of," Thora said silkily as she and Dagur turned to leave. But, before she shut the doors behind her, Thora looked over her shoulder at Eira. "Oh, and don't even try to escape anymore, Eira. Only way of breaking you out of there is if there were more of your fellow Elementals to help you. And, since you only have one descendant that Dagur and I are going to kill, you're out of luck," she sneered and went out the door.

"You won't get away with this!" Eret and Hiccup both yelled. "Oh, we already have!" Dagur and Thora's voices answered back before the sound of their footsteps faded.

"I hate them! Dagur and Thora both! I hate them!" Hiccup shouted, losing composure for once. Then he noticed Eret's downtrodden look. "Hey…don't blame yourself for this…" Hiccup told him quietly. "I can't really help it, Hiccup. It's me who let Thora into our inner circle. If I hadn't done that…" Eret sighed, unable to continue, and avoided Hiccup's eyes. Hiccup nudged him and said, "It's my fault, too. I trusted Thora too quickly and didn't even believe in Zenna's suspicions. We're _both _responsible for this."

Looking at Hiccup, Eret could tell that he meant what he said and slightly smiled. "I guess we were pretty stupid to fall for all those tricks," he chuckled. "Yeah, we're both idiots," Hiccup chuckled in agreement. "True, but you two are both rather brave," Eira commented. "Brave and stupid idiots!" Eret and Hiccup chortled before all three of them looked at each other.

How were they going to get out of this sticky situation?

* * *

The Quadruplet Elemental Dragons, on the other hand, were lucky enough to get Toothless, Stryka, and Skullcrusher to join them. Astrid, Heather, Valka, Spitelout, and their respective dragons had been wildly flying about in finding Eira, Eret, and Hiccup while fighting off Berserkers left and right. Zap's keen eye caught sight of Dagur and Thora leaving the Great Hall and quickly alerted his siblings. Astrid, Heather, Valka, and Spitelout agreed to keep fighting while the four Night Fury/Terrible Terror hybrids and three dragons went to rescue their captured friends. Of course, a couple of Berserker guards were left standing about but they were no match for one angry Rumblehorn, two angry Night Furies…and four wildly mischievous Elemental dragons.

"Yayayayayayayayayayaaaaaaaaaiiiii!" Cinder and Bloom crowed as they tackled the two Berserkers to the ground and had Stryka sit on them while Frost, Zap, Toothless, and Skullcrusher burst into the Great Hall. Hiccup and Eret had both exhausted themselves in straining to get out of their chains and were rather relieved to see their dragons. "Hey there, Bud…" Hiccup murmured as his best dragon friend licked his whole face to try cool him off. Skullcrusher lit a small fire in his mouth to warm Eret up. "Thanks, Skull…" Eret smiled, feeling a bit better. Frost used his icy breath to freeze the chains before Zap shot out lightning bolts to break them. Then, the four Quadruplet Elemental Dragons focused their attention on Eira.

"All together, team!" Cinder said and they surrounded Eira's orb prison. Their wings all glowed brightly. Cinder's wings glowed fiery orange red, Bloom's glowed forest green, Frost's glowed an icy blue, and Zap's glowed an electric violet. "Okay…now!" Cinder shouted and, together, the four of them fired their strongest magic blasts.

Eira also used all of her Elementals all at once and, after a few minutes, was freed from her prison. Hobbling out of the Great Hall with the help of their dragons, Hiccup and Eret saw that everybody was giving it all they had in the fight against the Berserkers. Stryka, herself, was leading several of the dragons into battle. "We'll handle this. You two find Zenna," Eira turned to Hiccup and Eret, worriedly noting that the Fire and Ice was beginning to affect them. Earlier, they'd been able to stand on their own but now, thanks to Thora's dark magic, the effects had accelerated and both Hiccup and Eret were barely able to stand even with their dragons' help. If they couldn't find Zenna in time…

Eira barely had time to think of the consequences because Eret and Hiccup had managed to clamber onto their respective dragons. Sensing the urgency, Toothless and Skullcrusher roared and took to the skies.

"An act of true love…Odin, I hope Old Wrinkly was right about it…" Eira murmured before focusing on the battle and joined Stryka, Cinder, Bloom, Frost, and Zap.

* * *

**Yeah, this is the best I could come up with. Thora being a dark sorceress…it just came to me while I was trying to find a way to deviate from the plot of Frozen a bit.**

**A brief explanation of Thora's character…**

**She was born into a line of dark magic users living nomadic lives so she is, in some way, a vagabond. She can use curses, hexes, and conjure up items that are filled with dark magic like the box Dagur used to imprison Eira in the previous chapter. But people persecuted her and killed her family. Thora was the only one to escape and managed to make it to Berserker Island. Dagur, having been forced to govern a small island thanks to Hiccup and his friends keeping an eye on him, met Thora and fell in love with her upon seeing that they both have desires to attain power and get revenge on those who have beaten them. They're perfect for each other, really, as they both want vengeance and use sadistic and deranged ways to get their way.**

**Anyways, read and review. This story is about three or four chapters away from being finished ;)**

**-GuardianDragon98**


	21. 20: The Final Berserker Skirmish

**This is the big battle scene, everyone. Prepare to shed tears at the ending or scream. Two more chapters after this and the story shall reach its happy ending, I assure you. In the meantime, brace yourselves!**

**NOTE: I DO NOT OWN HTTYD**

* * *

**Chapter 20: The Final Berserker Skirmish**

The Final Berserker Skirmish was in full swing. On one side, the Berkians, the dragons, and the Meatheads were all fighting together with the same intention of ridding the Barbaric Archipelago of the Berserkers for good while the other side, the Berserkers, were just fighting on their leaders' orders and, also, purely for the heck of it. Compared to the defending side, much Berserker blood was shed. But, well, if you have two armies fighting on the same side accompanied by dragons, it's to be expected that the invaders won't stand a chance. Heather and Astrid were helping their friends in the fight when they saw Toothless and Skullcrusher streak across the sky, bearing their Riders on their backs.

"Those two are stupid!" Astrid groaned out, seeing that her stubborn Dragon Boy had decided to risk his life once more. "And idiots…" Heather sighed, seeing that Hiccup's stubbornness had rubbed off onto Eret. Then Eira came to join the fight with Stryka and the Quadruplet Elemental Dragons. "You forgot brave," Eira slightly smiled as she used her magic to trap some Berserkers. "They're brave and stupid idiots!" Cinder, Frost, Bloom, and Zap chorused before all four of them uttered shrill cries and charged into battle!

* * *

Zenna, meanwhile, had been stuck in her prison for what seemed like forever. No matter how big the fireballs she flung, how many icicles she had shot out, how strong the vines she grew, or how intense the lightning bolts she had fired, all of her attacks were merely fizzled out by the dark flames. Just when she was about to lose her patience and try flying into the flames, Zenna saw Dagur and Thora appear in a flash of black fire.

And both had axes.

Zenna prepared herself as her fiery prison vanished. Once the two Berserkers were close enough, she hurled a lightning bolt at Dagur only for Thora to counter attack with her dark magic! Purple lightning collided with black and a low hum of electricity filled the air. "Two against one? This is a rather unfair fight, don't you think, Dagur dear?" Thora asked her boyfriend playfully. "On the contrary, my lovely Thora, this is _my _type of fight!" Dagur grinned sweetly at her. As precarious her situation was, Zenna couldn't help but be a bit cheeky. "Ugh! You guys are worse in flirting than Snotlout or Fishlegs. You two make me sick…then again, you two make _everyone _sick," she taunted the couple. Angered, Dagur and Thora charged and Zenna, prepared to sacrifice herself for the good of Berk and all she loved, flapped her wings and shot towards them with a battle cry.

* * *

Toothless and Skullcrusher growled worriedly. They could feel their Riders weakening and began to lose altitude, but Hiccup and Eret urged them to keep flying. "Keep going, Toothless…We have to find Zenna…We just have to…" Hiccup gasped out, struggling to stay conscious so he could operate the tail fin. He was feeling much, much worse now. His body felt like it was being cooked in the flames of the forge and he felt as if his insides were on fire. "Eret…how you…holding up…?" Hiccup muttered to his companion. "I've lost f-f-feeling in my arms…I-i-i-is th-th-th-that b-b-bad…?" Eret managed to say through chattering teeth. Before Hiccup could reply, lightning struck Toothless' prosthetic tail fin! "Oh no! Toooothleeeeeees!" the young Chief screamed along with his dragon as they plummeted to the ground! "Hiccup!" Eret shouted and had Skullcrusher do a dive, the Rumblehorn quickly grabbing onto Toothless' saddle, and slowed the downed duo's descent. Once both dragons were safely on the ice, Hiccup and Eret looked up to see lightning coming out of the storm clouds like a Skrill possessed. "Too dangerous to keep flying…" Hiccup breathed out, miraculously still on Toothless' back after that near-crash landing. Eret saw that Toothless' tail was destroyed, the red material charred black and connecting rods partially melted. Then his eyes swept over the frozen ocean and he saw it.

Way far off in the distance, blasts of magic could be seen.

"Zen…" the former dragon trapper pointed at the distant magic duel. Hiccup saw it as well and, with him and Eret both feeling their strength being sapped away little by little, whispered to Toothless one command.

"_Run_…"

And, as fast as they could, Toothless and Skullcrusher ran.

* * *

Dagur laughed maniacally as he swung his axe at Zenna, the Dragon Doctor barely deflecting it with an ice wall, and stumbled backward. Thora then swooped in with her dark fireballs and hurled them at Zenna with such force that Zenna could feel their heat as she nimbly dodged them. They'd been fighting for a while now and Zenna was still fighting with everything she had. She will not run nor will she hide. She will fight to her very last breath and will not stop until she defeated Dagur and Thora and restored Berk to normal. Even if everyone will brand her as a witch, she will accept whatever fate she would face next.

'_If they want to kill me…I'll let them. This whole mess was my fault anyway…_' Zenna thought as she made her stand.

* * *

"Blow up the Berserker ships!" Snotlout yelled to the Twins as he and Hookfang incinerated the largest enemy ship they could find with Fishlegs' help. The Twins, who rarely took orders as a team, nodded gravely and got Barf and Belch to do their thing. Meatlug had been firing lava blast after lava blast at the main Berserker ship until she was down to her last shot and the ship's mast was almost about to topple over. "Last shot, girl! Let's make sure Dagur and Thora can't get away on this!" Fishlegs told his sweet Gronckle. Meatlug growled and fired her last shot. The mast, its sails ablaze, buckled and toppled over onto the frozen ocean. What Fishlegs and Meatlug failed to notice was that Toothless and Skullcrusher were frantically dashing across the frozen waters to avoid getting hit by the falling mast! Both dragons got out of there in the nick of time and the mast smashed onto the ice with an earthshaking _CRASH!_

The earsplitting roar of the cracking ice made Hiccup and Eret look over their shoulders to see a jagged crack on the ice practically chasing them! "Speed up a little, Bud?" Hiccup asked weakly and Toothless obeyed, almost flying across the ice. "L-l-l-little f-f-f-fast-t-ter, S-s-s-s-skull!" Eret shivered, lying flat on his stomach as his Rumblehorn sped up. Suddenly the crack in the ice overtook them and, to foursome's horror, the icy terrain ahead of them broke up and the icy water was revealed! Looking at each other, Toothless and Skullcrusher nodded. They had to get their Riders across so they could reach Zenna and help her. As soon as they neared the edge of the ice, Toothless and Skullcrusher braced themselves.

"Toothless, what are you doing…?" Hiccup mumbled as he and Eret tried to get their dragons to stop. "S-skullcrusher…?" Eret gulped worriedly, weakly tugging at his dragon's harness. Ignoring their Riders' attempts to stop them, Toothless and Skullcrusher reached the ice's edge and flung their Riders off their backs with all their strength before falling into the water! "AAAAAAHHHHH!" Hiccup and Eret yelled as they momentarily sailed through the air before landing on the other side, sliding across the ice. "Toothless!" Hiccup shouted, whirling about to find his Night Fury gone. "Skullcrusher!" Eret frantically looked this way and that before he and Hiccup both saw the bubbles rising from the water's surface. Seconds later, Toothless and Skullcrusher burst out of the water. Clambering onto a large chunk of ice, both dragons roared to their Riders to show that they were okay. "Thank Odin…" Hiccup breathed out. "You two are incredible…" Eret sighed with relief.

The blizzard was getting stronger, the fires in Berk were burning more fiercely, the vines had practically spread out onto the ice, and the thunderstorm had increased intensity. Along with the extreme weather, Hiccup and Eret's conditions were deteriorating further. But there was no turning back for they had to, needed to, and…above all…wanted to save Zenna. With unsteady steps, both men made their way across the ice. Not long after taking a couple of steps, Hiccup wobbled on his prosthetic and fell forward only for Eret to grab him by the arm. "I can't…go on without me…save her…" Hiccup winced, feeling as if flames were eating away at him, and looked at his hands to find them smoking. "No way, Hiccup…W-w-we're g-g-going to s-s-save Z-z-zenna t-t-to…_together_…" Eret said weakly as he helped Hiccup right himself before noticing that his fingers, already blue from the cold, were slowly freezing into solid ice. Hiccup shook his head to snap out of his weakness and, with a firmer resolve, nodded. Supporting each other, Hiccup and Eret, now more brothers than friends, painfully continued their trek.

* * *

Zenna was exhausted but she wasn't showing it. Instead, she fought more fiercely and valiantly than ever before. "Sheesh, Zen, for a woman who's heartbroken, you sure look angry," Dagur taunted her. "What did Eret ever see in you? You're nothing but a scarred, disfigured freak!" Thora spat and ensnared Zenna in vines when she tried to fly up and threw her down. Recovering from the fall, Zenna stood up and glared defiantly at the deranged couple. "Eret loves me for who I am. He's always loved me and I've always loved him! I will not let you harm him, Hiccup, or anyone on Berk!" she yelled. Dagur's lips turned up into a nasty smile. "Oh, Zenna…didn't Thora tell you while you were in the dungeons?" he asked. Zenna turned to Thora with an angry but, nonetheless, confused look. Thora sighed and shook her head. "Like I told you earlier, Zenna, I had a little chat with Eira, Eret, and Hiccup. Eira was doing quite alright for a ghost. But, alas, Hiccup and Eret were already too weakened by your magic. Hiccup's hair was black and he was burning up while Eret's hair had turned white while he was beginning to freeze to death. I tried, really, to do something for them but I was too late…" she said sadly before looking at Zenna, who had gone rigid with shock, in the eye with coldness and said a single sentence that drained the fight out of Zenna.

"_Hiccup and Eret are dead because of you._"

Zenna had been shocked upon hearing Thora's previous words. Upon hearing those last eight words, however, had morphed her shock into sickening horror. Her brain continuously screeched, '_No! No! No! It's not true! She's lying! She's lying!_' at her but she was too heartbroken and horrified to listen to it.

Hiccup…

Her one-legged brother not by blood but by bond who had put her back together when Elias had died, her best human friend who had dared to change the world with a gentle hand, the awkwardly adorkable boy who was so brilliant in coming up with all sorts of insane contraptions…was dead.

Eret…

The love of her life, the strong, confident, and brave boy who had saved her from his own trap, the one who introduced her to the sacred wolves of the South, who helped her get over her acrophobia, the broken man she had helped heal after taking down Drago Bludvist, the man who had promised to love her unconditionally forever and ever…was dead.

Hiccup and Eret…

They were dead…

And it was her fault…

Thora's words had done their job. They had broken Zenna who, with an anguished cry, sank to the ice and made her magic essentially stop.

The silence that followed was almost deafening.

* * *

All at once, the fighting ceased. Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the Twins joined Valka, Gobber, Spitelout, Edgar, Henna, and El at the beach to try and figure out what had made everything stop. Eira had reunited with Astrid, Heather, and their dragons when they found Toothless and Skullcrusher. With Cinder, Bloom, Frost, and Zap, they tried to find Hiccup and Eret. "Where are they…?" Astrid muttered worriedly. Then Heather motioned to her frantically and pointed at two lone figures, miraculously, standing.

"They're not going to make it…" Heather whispered upon seeing the duo's condition. Hiccup now had small embers eating away at him while Eret was beginning to turn to ice. "We have to get them out of there!" Zap exclaimed frantically. "We can't…" Eira said softly, shocking her companions. "Why not, Lady Eira?" Frost asked, trying to hide the quaver in his voice. "An act of true love, that's why," Eira said, looking calm but also sad. "What act of true love?! They're just going to what?! Sacrifice themselves for Zenna?!" Cinder asked loudly before her eyes widened in realization. Bloom put two and two together before gasping, "But…that means…"

Astrid and Heather barely listened to what the five were saying and only knew one thing. Hiccup and Eret were going to kill themselves if they stayed out there and, with Toothless and Skullcrusher, flew their dragons to go get them. At the same time, Hiccup and Eret looked up and saw three figures just a short distance away from them.

Two of them, both holding axes high above their heads, were Dagur and Thora. The other figure, slumped against the ice in despair, was…

"_Zenna_…"

Seeing that Dagur and Thora were about to attack Zenna, Hiccup and Eret picked up the pace and practically ran. They ignored Astrid and Heather's frantic shouts telling them to stop for they only had one thing on their minds.

Zenna.

Reaching her just as Dagur and Thora brought their axes down, Hiccup and Eret both threw themselves in front of Zenna screaming, "_NOOOO!_" the same time the Fire and Ice in their hearts fully consumed them.

Hiccup's entire body burst into flames while Eret's body froze into solid ice just as both axes came in contact with them. What happened next would be something no Berkian, dragon, Meathead, or Berserker would ever forget.

The minute Hiccup and Eret sacrificed themselves and were consumed in Fire and Ice, Dagur and Thora were the unlucky recipients of the same effects as well. Dagur screamed bloody murder as he burned while Thora shrieked like a banshee as she turned to solid ice. Then all the dark magic Thora had used to contain Zenna's magic within Berk returned to her frozen form, destroying her alongside Dagur.

Once that was over, all was silent once again.

* * *

***Ducks behind a shield * You may now review this…**

**-GuardianDragon98**


	22. 21: Love Triumphs Over All

**Haha! Second chapter posted on the same day. Take that, writer's block! Yes!**

**This is kind of my attempt to tie loose ends in the story before the final chapter. I can only hope I've done my best. Any loose ends I've missed I hope to tie up in the last chapter tomorrow.**

**Also, Advanced Happy New Year, everyone!**

**NOTE: I DO NOT OWN HTTYD**

* * *

**Chapter 21: Love Triumphs Over All**

She had heard them scream. She had forced herself to look up and saw them running towards her. She had seen them throw themselves in front of her to protect her. And she had seen them perish along with Dagur and Thora.

Now, Zenna could only look at the fate of the two men who had saved her life. Hiccup's form was completely shrouded in flames, the only thing you could see of him was the faint outline of his form, and he looked more like a human-shaped fireball. The form of his left arm was raised as he had attempted to block Dagur's axe with it. Eret, however, was perfectly recognizable even though he was frozen solid. His face showed determination with a hint of desperation and his right hand was outstretched. He must have been thinking of blocking Thora's axe with his bare hands.

Zenna looked at them, her face emotionless, for what seemed like forever until Heather and Astrid flew Windshear and Stormfly down along with Toothless, Stryka, and Skullcrusher. Then Zenna broke and flung herself between the two martyrs' feet, sobbing. Toothless and Skullcrusher growled soft, sad growls, bowing their heads to hide the tears slipping down their scaly faces. Windshear and Stormfly also bowed their heads while Heather and Astrid just looked on, the tears freely flowing down their faces.

Back on the island of Berk, everyone mourned in stunned silence even the Berserkers who, in an act of respect towards the fallen, willingly gave themselves up to the Berkians and Meatheads and were now chained. Valka was sobbing into Cloudjumper's scales upon seeing her son's flaming form while Gobber and Alvin sorrowfully took off their helmets. Edgar and Henna bowed their heads briefly before attempting to comfort their son. El was inconsolable, wailing at the top of his lungs, as he hugged his stuffed Night Fury whom he had named after his Uncle Eret. Yes, everyone mourned. Everyone was sad.

But nobody could be sadder than Zenna, who had stood up and gazed into Eret's still, cold eyes and looked at Hiccup's burning form. "I'm so sorry…I never wanted to hurt you two…Please…come back…I love you both so much…I can't lose you two…Please…" she whispered before breaking down in tears again. Stryka warbled comfortingly and stayed by her Rider's side, letting her sob into her midnight black scales. Eira and the Quadruplet Elemental Dragons arrived on the scene. Cinder and Bloom couldn't stop their tears and were sobbing in Frost and Zap's wings while Eira sadly looked on.

She was the first to see it.

Little by little, the flames surrounding Hiccup flickered and died out while Eret's body began to thaw. Stryka warbled excitedly to Zenna while Eira softly coaxed her, "Zen, look…" making the one-eyed Dragon Doctor bring her face out of Stryka's scales. Zenna watched, eye wide in astonishment, as Hiccup and Eret were brought out of their cursed states and, now, stood before her looking a bit dazed and, nonetheless, happy to see her. "Holy Shields…Holy Shields…HOLY SHIELDS! OH GODS! HICCUP! ERET!" Zenna cried out in absolute joy and hugged them both, tears of joy welling up in her eye. Hiccup and Eret, stunned as they were, gladly returned the hug. For a while, it was just a whirlwind of emotion for the three of them. They were okay. They were safe. And, most of all, they were together again.

"Hey, Zen…" Eret managed to say as the one-eyed Fiersome lady tightly squeezed him and, upon noticing the absence of two nasty Berserkers from the little group, looked to Hiccup with a slightly confused look. Hiccup looked rather bewildered and looked around for the two dastardly Berserkers who had dared to lay siege to his island. "Dagur and Thora…Zen, what happened to them while Eret and I were…um…out?" Hiccup asked cautiously as Zenna let go of them both. Zenna, wanting nothing more than to hug them again, put aside her overflowing happiness and relief to give Eret and Hiccup both serious looks. "To be honest, I'm still trying to figure it out. After you guys saved me…Dagur just spontaneously combusted while Thora froze. Then all this dark magic came back to her and…she just vanished along with Dagur…I really can't understand it…" she said thoughtfully. "I think I may have an explanation for that," Eira said, floating to the trio. "We're all ears," Hiccup implored her.

"Dagur and Thora loved each other, yes, but they never knew how to love others. Combine that with a lust for power and their hearts had been darkened. As for you two, Hiccup and Eret, you two have untainted hearts, as you are both able to love others. In some ways, an affliction caused by an Elemental's magic can be inflicted onto somebody else if that person's heart is dark and filled with nothing but hatred, anger, greed, and revenge. Our powers, you see, have this rather extraordinary way of sensing when darkness and evil is present. When you two sacrificed yourselves to save Zenna, both Dagur and Thora's weapons had touched you both and this allowed the magic to spread to them. Both of you have the same wound, see?"

After hearing Thora's first part of the explanation, Hiccup and Eret both glanced down at their hands. Hiccup's left hand had a faint scar on his palm from Dagur's axe while Eret's right hand had a scar like Hiccup's on his right palm from Thora's.

"As for Dagur and Thora's disappearance, it's because of Thora's dark magic. Once Thora was frozen, her magic returned to her but she could no longer contain it much less control it so it destroyed her. And, since he had consorted with someone as evil as Thora, Dagur was destroyed as well by the dark magic. No worries, though. Without any master, dark magic fades away until it completely disappears," Eira concluded before Heather piped up with a question. "But…my grandfather said that only an act of true love could save Hiccup and Eret…We all thought Zenna was the key. How did she do it? How did she undo the spell?" she asked. Eira smiled at Zenna. "Zenna was the key, indeed, Heather. As for the act of true love to undo the spell…why, Hiccup and Eret did it themselves," she said. "We did?" Hiccup and Eret both asked, completely lost. "Yes!" Zap and Frost, having already caught on, sighed and rolled their eyes. "You two _sacrificed _yourselves to save our Mistress," Bloom told them. "There's no greater act of true love than that," Cinder nodded in agreement. "And there is no greater love than the love we have for our family. Whether it be the love of a brother for his sister or the love of a husband for his wife," Eira added, smiling at Hiccup and Eret.

Both men weren't really sure how to react to Eira's statement and merely blushed. Zenna laughed and, glancing at the two, smiled broadly. Her ancestor's words were true. And, honestly, she had never felt so lucky or so well protected to have two brave men like Hiccup and Eret to be there for her.

"I guess love triumphs over all," Zenna remarked before realization dawned on her. "Love…Of course! Everyone, get on your dragons unless you wanna go for a swim!" she said suddenly and got on Stryka's back. Without question, Hiccup, Eret, Astrid, and Heather mounted their dragons and lifted off. They watched as Zenna flew Stryka a bit higher and, to their amazement, Zenna's four wings turned into small orbs of fiery orange red, icy blue, forest green, and striking violet light.

'_Love triumphs over all…_' Zenna thought as she had her Elementals lift the curse from the island of Berk. On the island, everyone watched in awe as the Fire, Ice, Nature, and Lightning magic left the surrounding areas. Berk was restored to its natural state. The wildfires in the forests died out and the burnt trees became lush and green once more. The ocean thawed and the blizzard ceased. The thorny vines were replaced with slender vines where beautiful flowers came upon to bloom. And the storm clouds disappeared from Berk, revealing the blue sky. High up in the air, Zenna willed her Elementals to be calm and formed her family crest, the lightning bolt, before spreading her arms out wide to the side and the lightning bolt vanished a whirl of color.

"We knew you could do it," Hiccup grinned as Zenna and Stryka joined them in flying back to Berk. "Never doubted you for a moment," Eret smiled in agreement as they landed. Zenna felt about a million or so pairs of eyeballs staring at her and felt her palms grow sweaty. It was a miracle her powers hadn't reacted yet to her nerves but Zenna couldn't help but wonder if Mildew, the old coot, had managed to turn everyone against her while she was gone. Even with Hiccup and Eret standing by her, Zenna couldn't help but feel nervous.

Her nerves, however, temporarily vanished when her family came rushing over to greet her. "Zennwa!" El squealed and made for his big sister who opened her arms to catch him as he leapt to give her a hug. "Hey, El…I missed you so, so, so much…" Zenna gushed, hugging her sweet baby brother to her chest. "I missed you, too! Don't go away anymowe! Pwomise?" El looked up at his big sister with big, pleading, violet eyes. "Promise," Zenna laughed and pinky swore with him. Edgar and Henna were overjoyed, hugging and kissing their daughter like she was a little girl again. "Mom, Dad, stop…kind of embarrassing me…" Zenna laughed good-naturedly. "That's part of our job as your parents, Zenna love. You should be used to that by now!" Edgar laughed heartily. "Oh, our dear girl…back safe and sound…_Never _do that again, love, do you hear me? Your father and I were worried sick…" Henna told her sternly but had a loving smile on her face. "Yes, Mom…" Zenna nodded before hearing someone cheer, "Zenna's home! Welcome home, Zenna!" and craned her neck to see the Ironside Family along with the rest of the Dragon Riders celebrating.

"Good to see you again, Zenna!"

"We missed you!"

"Welcome back, Dr. Fiersome!"

Zenna could hardly believe it. Everyone was welcoming her back…even the imprisoned Berserkers were applauding her! This was insane! Then she heard Alvin giving Mildew a good telling off. "When we get back to Meathead Island, you'll be cleaning out all of the Whispering Death tunnels for the next three months!" the Meathead Chief barked at a surly Mildew. The old coot was about to open his mouth to protest before Savage showed him his bone club and shut him up.

Zenna giggled at that before, all of a sudden, she was surrounded by all of her friends as they celebrated her return. "You're back home, Zenna," Eret smiled. "Welcome home, Zen," Hiccup smiled as well. And, seeing that she was home and she was accepted, Zenna smiled the biggest smile she had ever smiled before.

It was good to be home.

* * *

The next few weeks were, in Zenna's case, rather surreal as she embraced being an Elemental again. Gone were the days she would sneak off to the forest to practice with only El and Stryka as her audience. Now, she let herself practice out in the old Dragon Training Academy's arena with Eira as her teacher and, most of the time, all the children in Berk watching her. At first, Zenna had been hesitant to use her Fire and Ice magic (_on account of what it did to two of the five most important men in her life_) but Hiccup and Eret had encouraged her to use those two particular types of magic and she soon mastered them. Eira, needless to say, was most impressed. Zenna had grasped the concepts of advanced techniques quicker than she had when _she _was in training and, in just two weeks, she deemed Zenna to be a natural.

"You've accepted your powers, I see nobody with ill intentions against you, and you've mastered every trick we Fiersome Elementals know and have even invented a few new ones as well…my work is almost done," she told Zenna as they sat on a dock and watched the ships set sail that afternoon after she had successfully mastered all of her Elementals. "You're going to Valhalla, aren't you?" Zenna asked, a small sad smile on her face. "I've let myself wander about the realm of the living long enough. My only purpose at the time had been to guide you and to protect you. Now that you're grown and matured both as a person and an Elemental, I can finally rest in peace now that I can see nobody will persecute us Elementals anymore…all thanks to you, Zenna," her ghostly ancestor replied, smiling proudly at her. Zenna smiled at Eira and held out her palm. Smiling, Eira held her own palm out to hers and they marveled at each other's hands. "It's like looking into a mirror…It's just…incredible how we look so much alike…" Zenna murmured in awe. "We're twins separated by several generations," Eira giggled.

That's when Zenna recalled Eira's previous words and found something strange about them.

"Hang on…your work is _almost _done? What else do you need to do that concerns me?" she asked, tilting her head in confusion. Eira smiled and gestured with her head to Eret's ship that had just arrived with a passenger.

* * *

"Grandpa!" Heather embraced Old Wrinkly as the old alchemist tottered onto the dock. "Ah, Heather, I'm so proud! So proud of you, lass! Eret told me all about it. You taking charge of those Berserkers and setting them straight…Odin knows that your parents, both birth and adoptive, would be so proud to see you now…" Old Wrinkly smiled fondly at his granddaughter before turning a critical eye towards Snotlout, who had accompanied Heather to welcome him.

"You're that Jorgenson boy?" Old Wrinkly asked. "Y-yes, sir," Snotlout stammered, praying that Old Wrinkly would approve of him courting Heather. "And you're courting my granddaughter?" Old Wrinkly asked. "Yes, sir. B-but I would like to formally ask for your permission, if that's alright with you…" Snotlout said carefully. Old Wrinkly looked at Snotlout up and down and slowly walked around him as he appraised the boy. Eret snickered before receiving an elbow to the ribs from Heather, who looked just as nervous as Snotlout.

Finally, Old Wrinkly straightened up and pointed at a pile of trunks on Eret's ship with his cane. "That'll be my things, boy. Do take care not to break anything," he sighed and left the docks with Heather but he, then, loudly said, "Of all the lads on this island, Heather, why'd you have to pick that pipsqueak?" followed by Heather's retort of, "Grandpa, he's really nice…"

Snotlout looked at the pile of trunks, no doubt filled with all sorts of heavy things, and looked to Eret hopefully. "Sorry, mate. You're on your own," Eret chuckled and moored his ship before getting off. Snotlout muttered, "Thor, help me…" before proceeding to take the trunks to Heather's house, where she and her grandfather would now be staying, one-by-one so as not to break anything.

* * *

"I still can't believe Heather chose Snotlout. Astrid once told me that she had a crush on _Fishlegs_! What made her change her mind?" Zenna wondered out loud, shaking her head, as she and Eira watched them. "Love is a funny thing. It changes a person," Eira said airily. That's when Zenna realized what needed to be done so Eira could move onto Valhalla. "I don't know, Eira…It's only been a couple of weeks…" she said uncertainly. "And in those couple of weeks, so much has happened! Dagur and Thora are gone, Heather is now the one keeping the Berserkers in check even if she's living her now, and peace has come back to Berk. Zenna, you don't have to be afraid anymore. Besides, you know how Eret feels about you. He said it so himself. He loves you and will always love you. Don't you think it's time for you two to take the next step?" Eira asked, a bit amused. "But what if something like before happens again? And I'm also thinking about what my children would face if they end up having the same abilities as mine. I don't want them to be viewed as something bad…" Zenna mumbled worriedly.

"Oh, so you're thinking about having kids with Eret?"

Zenna nearly zapped herself with her own Lightning magic while Eira giggled when she turned around to see Hiccup and Astrid smiling at them. "Holy Shields, Astrid, don't do that! I'm still prone to shocking myself!" Zenna exclaimed crossly. "Sorry, Zen," Astrid smiled apologetically before giving Hiccup a punch in the shoulder. "Ow! How many more times do I have to say '_I won't risk my life again!_' to get you to stop punching me?" Hiccup yelped, gingerly rubbing his stinging shoulder. "Enough times to get the message into your head," Astrid said simply. Zenna rolled her eye. Ever since the so-dubbed "Great Change", Astrid had been getting on Hiccup's case for sacrificing himself and turning into a human torch for a few minutes. And her punishment involved several punches to Hiccup's shoulders and threats of chaining him to her. "He still has it, you know," Hiccup then spoke to Zenna. "Has what?" Zenna blinked at him. "Your engagement ring. He wears it on a chain around his neck and I've never seen him take it off. I think he's still hoping for another chance," Hiccup clarified. Zenna became silent at this and fiddled with her pendant. Sitting down next to her and with Astrid on Eira's side, Hiccup took Zenna's free hand in his. "You two still and always will have my blessing, Zen. Remember that," he said softly. Zenna smiled and squeezed Hiccup's hand. "I forgive you for hiding the fall of the South from me, Hicc. I know you were just trying to protect me. But…no more secrets between us, okay?" she asked. "Okay," Hiccup answered, smiling warmly at her. "So what are you gonna do now?" Astrid asked her. Zenna glanced at Eret for a brief moment and, standing up, took a deep breath. "See if he still wants to keep that house he and Hiccup built," she replied before going off to see Eret.

* * *

The sun was setting when Zenna had taken a blindfolded Eret up to the house. "Okay, Zen, what exactly did you bring me to that requires a blindfold?" the former dragon trapper asked, carefully feeling the empty air before him. "This…" Zenna whipped the blindfold off of him, revealing the house they could have started living in a month ago if the accident hadn't happened. Eret stared at the house for a full minute before looking at Zenna, a bit surprised. "Hiccup told me about the ring," Zenna stated. Eret then took the chain out from under his shirt and showed it to her. Throughout everything, Eret had kept the ring in pristine condition in hopes for a second chance. Zenna shuffled to her feet and nervously looked at Eret. "Eret, I know it's been a month since…you know what happened. But, I just want you to know that…dumping you was the worst mistake I ever made in my entire life. And-and if you still want to…C-can we…?" Zenna trailed off and looked down at her boots. Then, to her surprise, Eret took the ring out of the chain. "I believe this belongs to you," he smiled, sliding the ring back onto the ring finger on Zenna's right hand. Before Zenna could say a word, Eret pulled her close to him and their lips met. Zenna shuddered in delight as she melted into the kiss, throwing her arms around Eret's neck and tangling her fingers into his hair.

"Will you marry me, Eret?" Zenna breathed out before Eret captured her lips in his once again and brushed her long black hair back. "Yes…" the former dragon trapper breathed against her lips. They continued to kiss until the need for air came and they broke apart, gasping slightly. "Yes?" Zenna asked giddily. "Need another kiss to confirm it?" Eret asked playfully as Zenna laughed and pulled him along to their house.

Yes, _their _house…that they would now plan on furnishing and decorating.

* * *

That night, Hiccup, Astrid, Eret, Zenna, Snotlout, Heather, Fishlegs, and the Twins all decided to fly to the Isle of Zen with Eira to check on Renegade and to fix the damage the previous battle had wrought on Zenna's palace. Renegade was doing much better now and was happily playing with the Quadruplet Elemental Dragons, Toothless, Stryka, Stormfly, Skullcrusher, Hookfang, Windshear, Meatlug, and Barf and Belch. The Riders and Eira, on the other hand, stayed inside to explore the palace and returned to camp out in the palace's grand foyer when nighttime deepened.

Eret and Zenna didn't have a hard time announcing to their friends that the wedding was back on because their friends all saw the ring.

"Hey, Hicc, do you think we can redecorate the Great Hall in time for Freyja's Day?" Zenna asked, sending Ruffnut, Heather, Eira, and Astrid into excited squeals as they surrounded Zenna and excitedly began to ask who was going to be the maid of honor and who would be the bridesmaids. "Congrats, man. So, who's going to be the ring bearer? I think Tuffnut would be honored," Snotlout said jokingly before getting punched in the face by the male Thorston twin. "The day I walk down an aisle bearing rings will be the day Fishlegs marries my sister," Tuffnut declared. "Well, Tuff, that day won't be far off. They're already dating," Eret pointed out. Tuffnut then glared at Fishlegs who nervously squeaked, "I was going to tell you but she wouldn't let me…"

Hiccup and Eret both laughed as they watched Snotlout try to keep an enraged Tuffnut from mauling Fishlegs and glanced at each other. "I take it that El's going to be the ring bearer?" Hiccup asked the former dragon trapper. "He was jumping all over the place when I asked him to. I guess that leaves you as my best man," Eret smirked at him. "Best man, me? You sure about that?" Hiccup asked with his eyebrows raised. "Positive. Besides, Zenna _specifically _wants you to be my best man. How can I deny my bride-to-be of that wish?" Eret winked at him. "Best man…I like the sound of that," Hiccup chuckled as they fist bumped.

Suddenly a gust of wind blew through the palace, blowing out the torches in the grand foyer. "Okay, who forgot to close some of the doors?" Zenna asked, a small flame appearing in the palm of her hand.

"Sorry, sis, that was me."

Elias Fiersome suddenly appeared, grinning from ear to ear. "Elias, how nice of you to come," Eira smiled at the spirit of Zenna's older brother. "Hey, Eira, I hope you don't mind if I brought a couple of friends with me," Elias smiled before the spirits of Stoick, Elisabeth, Rollo, Bjorn, and Sigrid appeared along with two other ghosts, a man and a woman, that the Riders didn't recognize. "Mom! Dad!" Heather said, surprised, as the ghosts of her adoptive parents came to greet her. Then she noticed the two other ghosts and went over to them and the three of them and Heather's adoptive parents engaged in a conversation.

"Dad!" Hiccup was surprised to see his father who was smiling proudly at him. "Son…" Stoick greeted the one-legged Chief and chuckled when Hiccup tried to hug him only to fall through him. "Darn, I thought it'd be like Father's Day…" Hiccup grumbled. "You take what you get, Hiccup. At least you can see me," Stoick said before sharing a knowing look with Eret's parents. "While Rollo, Elisabeth, and I are proud of you and Eret, Hiccup, what you two did was extremely dangerous. Imagine if you two had tried to block Berserker axes with your bare hands," Stoick said sternly.

Snotlout, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut had their mouths covered to keep their laughing to a minimum while Fishlegs had the decency to give Eret and Hiccup sympathetic looks as they were both reprimanded by the spirits of their parents.

"Dad, Eret and I were desperate!" Hiccup protested. "And we're fine, really! We only sustained minor wounds…" Eret mumbled. "Oh, really, son? For your mother, an axe cut on the palm of your hand doesn't qualify as a minor wound," Rollo glanced at his wife. Elisabeth looked a bit cross but was also trying to get Eret to show her his right hand. "Oh dear…well, it's healed up rather nicely…But still! Eret, what you and Hiccup did was incredibly dangerous. Never do that again, you promise me?" Elisabeth said worriedly. "I promise, Mum…" Eret sighed in resignation. "And you, Hiccup?" Stoick raised an eyebrow. "I promise to keep my desperate brave acts of heroism to a minimum…" Hiccup rolled his eyes with a wry smile. "That's my boy," Stoick smiled in approval.

A small sniffle, then, caught everyone's attention as they turned to see Heather crying as she was surrounded by the ghosts of her adoptive parents, Bjorn and Sigrid, as well as the two unknown ghosts.

But the man Hiccup recognized.

"_Oswald the Agreeable_?" the one-legged Chief asked, stunned. "Ah, Hiccup, good lad! It's been a long time. You've grown since the last time I saw ya'!" Oswald boomed heartily. "You guys found Heather's birth parents?" Zenna asked her brother, who was watching the reunion with a smile on his face. "It was my idea to bring them here with me. It's the least I could do for her," Elias sighed as his childhood crush wept tears of joy. The other ghost, a woman with long black hair and green eyes identical to Heather's, smiled lovingly at the young warrior/alchemist. "Heather…my sweet baby girl…Don't cry, love, Mama is here…" she said softly. "Y-you're _my _Mom?" Heather sniffled. "You can call me _Kari_, my sweet," the ghost smiled. Heather then looked to her father with watery eyes. "I only remember so little about you…why couldn't I remember her?" she asked.

"Ah, your mother died giving birth to you. I raised you and Dagur with all the love I had in me but honestly, I don't know where I went wrong with your brother…He harbored a rather bad grudge against me as he grew to manhood. When rumors started to spread about him planning to usurp me…I had no choice. I took you to the South and had you adopted. It was the only thing I could think of that would keep you safe. When I died, I spent a long time apologizing to your dear mother here," Oswald sighed as Kari comfortingly patted his shoulder. "You made the right decision, my dear Oswald. As sad it is to see our son gone, we should have seen it coming. A heart so darkened by evil will ultimately meet an unpleasant fate…" Kari said softly. "I'm very grateful to Bjorn and Sigrid. They've loved our baby girl all throughout their lives. And, of course, I'm very thankful to all of you for being such great friends to Heather. Especially you and Zenna, Ms. Hofferson," Oswald nodded respectfully to Hiccup's girlfriend.

Then Oswald turned a critical eye on Snotlout. "As for you, Mr. Jorgenson, you better treat my daughter right," he said sternly. "Sir, yes, sir!" Snotlout saluted the Berserker chief. Elias pretended to look hurt. "I can't believe you dumped me for him!" he wailed before Kari calmed him down. "Calm down, Eli, you'll still be a heartthrob to me," Heather laughed.

"And, of course, we didn't just come here to pick up Eira and take her to eternal paradise," Bjorn spoke up. "We spirits would like to congratulate the soon to be wedded couple. Oh, Zenna and Eret…to think that you two were so young when we last saw you both. Now you're both all grown up…" Sigrid sighed, remembering the two kids who had played with her daughter. Zenna and Eret both blushed as they were congratulated and _(in Eret's case, wished good luck)_.

"Dude, you better take good care of my sister. And if I hear wind of you hurting her, I will come back to haunt you for the rest of your life," Elias warned his best friend with a mischievous grin. "Haunt me? Eli, I think the best thing you'll be able to do to me is drop things on my head like a poltergeist," Eret said sarcastically. "Well, if Elias fails to haunt you, son, then _I'll _come to haunt you," Rollo smirked mischievously. Eret paled and immediately said, "On my honor as a soon-to-be-married man, I shall treat my future wife with all the love and respect she so rightfully deserves." Earning a thumbs-up from Elias and an approving nod from his father. "That's my gentleman," Elisabeth smiled. Eret smiled sadly at his parents. "I wish you two were still here…" he murmured, Zenna gently resting her head against his shoulder to comfort him. "We're always here, son…We're always _here_," Rollo said softly, pointing at Eret's heart. "You may not be able to see us, Eret, but your father and I will be at the wedding. And we will be the proudest parents ever," Elisabeth smiled. Eret smiled, his amber brown eyes shining with love and happiness, and nodded. "Zenna, you know what to do with our boy," Rollo winked at the one-eyed Dragon Doctor. "Yes, I do, Sir Rollo. Yes, I do," Zenna smiled and gave Eret a seductively flirtatious wink. "Good luck, sweetheart," Elisabeth giggled as she saw her son blush scarlet.

Elias then smiled, a single tear running down his cheek. "Look at you, Zen…Soon to be married…I won't be your number one man anymore…But I am so happy for you and I am so proud of you. You've become your own woman," he said softly. "Hey, you'll still have a very special place in my heart, Eli. You'll always be the best big brother a girl could ever ask for," Zenna smiled, her voice filled with emotion.

Eira then joined the spirits convened around the team. "It looks like my work here is done. Take care of yourselves, especially you two," she smiled at Zenna and Eret. "Thanks for everything, Eira…" Zenna thanked her ancestor. "No, no, Zen. Thank _you_. Being with you and all your friends…it made me feel alive," Eira smiled. Then her form shimmered along with Stoick's, Rollo's, Elisabeth's, Elias', Oswald's, Kari's, Bjorn's, and Sigrid's and…they were gone.

And, at that moment, Renegade came barreling into the palace accompanied with all the dragons. "What'd we miss?" Cinder and Bloom asked while Frost and Zap, after looking around, inquired, "Where's Eira?"

Smiling and laughing, the Dragon Riders filled them in on what had happened.

* * *

**Read and review! Those two things make me very happy :)**

**-GuardianDragon98**


	23. 22: The New Normal

**Holy Shields, guys, it's finished. And just in time for the New Year.**

**I've got tons of plans for 2016. Lord, help me accomplish them all. I'll be working on finishing "I'll Let You Go If You Let Me Go", then add a new chapter each to "Ice Water" and "The Little Things They Don't Know About Us", and then…I shall attempt to write my first full-length Harry Potter story.**

**I want to thank you all for supporting HTTYD: Frozen Fire, all the reviewers be they account holders here like Big Dragon Rebel Girl or guest reviewers like MMM. You all have inspired me to keep writing this story even during times when I felt like giving up. For that, I thank you!**

**Last but not least…WolfWitchHuntress1318, my magnificent co-author. You helped me edit and revise these chapters and have made them more interesting than I could have ever imagined. Thnak you, from my whole heart, THANK YOU!**

**I apologize if this author's note has been short. I shall not keep you all waiting. Enjoy!**

**NOTE: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING! ALL RIGHTS TO HTTYD AS WELL AS THE MENTIONED SONGS GO TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS!**

* * *

**Chapter 22: The New Normal**

Freyja's Day was about three weeks away and everyone was working round-the-clock to prepare for Zenna and Eret's wedding. The soon-to-be-wedded couple soon found themselves often being apart from each other as their respective wedding parties readied them for their big day. But, sometimes, Zenna and Eret could sneak away when nobody was looking and they would hightail it to either the Cove with Hiccup, Zenna's place on the Isle of Zen with Cinder, Bloom, Frost, Zap, and El, or to their secret hot spring where they could just spend some quality alone time together.

A day before their wedding, the two of them were able to sneak off to the hot spring so they could have a nice relaxing soak and be fresh and clean for their wedding day. "Mmmm…this feels so nice…" Zenna murmured, sinking deeper into the hot water. Eret hummed in agreement, his eyes closed, before he heard a twig snap and he and Zenna jerked to attention.

"Wow…so this is where you two sneak off to…Mind if I soak my feet here?"

It was Heather.

"Heather! H-how did you?" Zenna nearly shouted in surprise upon seeing her friend. "Windshear and I were flying by and we saw you two," Heather said, removing her boots. "Well, where is she?" Eret asked as he looked around and found no Razorwhip. "She's at the Dragon Nip field with Stryka and Skullcrusher. I figured she could use some relaxation, too. We've all been working hard," Heather smiled, breathing in the steam coming from the hot spring. The three of them lapsed into silence before Heather remembered something important.

"I haven't heard from the South ever since I started living here. But I heard from my grandfather that, once Dagur and Thora were taken care of, word got to the Berserkers occupying the South and they fled…" she said quietly. Zenna and Eret looked at each other, worried expressions on their faces. "You think everyone back in the South are alright?" Zenna asked. "We could suspend the wedding for a bit and go back there to check…" Eret suggested. Heather shook her head. "Nuh-uh, you two. This wedding's been postponed long enough. We can worry about our friends back at home the day after it. Besides, the Wolf Pack Army of the South's got some of the fiercest fighters in the land. I wouldn't be surprised if we went back to the South right now and saw that everyone's doing just fine," she told them. Zenna and Eret could see that there was no sense in arguing with Heather's claim and kindly asked their friend to turn around while they dried off and got dressed.

"Are you both decent?" Heather asked, her back still turned. "Yeah, you can turn around," Zenna replied, she and Eret both fully clothed. "You two didn't...do anything while in the water now, did you?" Heather asked playfully. "_Heather!_" Eret said, looking almost scandalized. "Kidding!" Heather laughed, her shoulders shaking. Then she opened her leather shoulder bag, which she always carried around, and pulled out two boxes both wrapped in brown cloth and tied with silver bows. "Wedding gifts from my grandfather and I to the two of you," she smiled. Eret and Zenna sat down on the bank of the hot spring with her and opened their gifts.

"This is…this is the first medal I ever got in training…" Eret said, amazed, as he pulled out a silver medal. On the medal, a wolf's head was engraved surrounded by runes and the ribbon from where the medal hung was a tawny gold. "I remember you wearing that. You got that for being the Most Promising Wolf Pack Trainee in your group," Zenna said, recalling some childhood memories. When she opened her gift, Zenna's eye widened in surprise. "My first place medal for winning the Junior Division Hand-to-Hand Combat Tournament! Heather, how did you find it? I left this behind in the South ages ago!" she exclaimed in delight. "Bjarte. He keeps everyone's medals long after they stop being worn. The last time I was there, I told him about seeing you and he gave it to me along with Eret's medal. He said he hoped I'd find you two again and pass them on," Heather smiled. Eret and Zenna held their medals in their hands carefully as if they were priceless treasures. In some ways, they were as they reminded them of the fun times they had together in the South.

True, they may have left the South and found a new home on Berk but the land of their origin would forever hold a special place in their hearts and Heather's.

"We're our very own pack…" Eret suddenly said, making the two ladies look at him with confused expressions. "All three of us are from the South and our people believe that '_However small the pack, Wolves of the South have each other's backs_'. You two still remember that, right?" Eret slightly chuckled. "Yeah…and if you count my parents, Elias, El, and Old Wrinkly…that means our pack has…" Zenna said before Heather finished counting for her. "Seven members…that's a pretty small pack of wolves…" she mused. "Yeah, but we're still a pack," Eret nodded. "We might not have our friends in the South with us…but we've got each other. And I think that's what matters," Zenna smiled as she, Eret, and Heather put their hands in together.

They were a small pack of wolves but they were a downright strong pack of wolves.

* * *

The next day, Eret and Zenna woke up with the same thought.

'_I'm getting married…'_

* * *

Last minute preparations were underway when the bride and groom were taken to two separate houses. Edgar and Henna made sure to give them two more gifts, two very special gifts, for their wedding day.

Henna smiled as she lovingly attended to her daughter. But, when she saw her sweet Zenna in her wedding dress for the first time, she couldn't help but cry a little. "Mom, I'm getting married. It's not like I'm going away forever. I'll still come by and visit you, Dad, and El every single day," Zenna reassured her. "It's not that, love. It's just that…I always knew this day would come. To think that you were my little baby girl 22 years ago…now you're all grown up and about to marry…I just can't help but feel like the happiest mother in all of Midgard. You've grown up to become such a strong and beautiful woman…and I am so proud of you, Zenna love, so, so proud…" she whispered. Zenna could fight back the tears as well and let them come out as she embraced her dear mother. "I love you and Dad so much, Mom…thank you for everything…" she said with much love.

Then Henna brought out a carved wooden chest.

"This, Zenna, is the Idun Family diadem. Every daughter coming from my family has worn it on her wedding day. Now…it's time for _you _to wear it," she said and presented to Zenna a gleaming bronze diadem encrusted with deep purple amethysts and glittering black garnets. Zenna gasped in awe and her mother gently placed it on her head. "Mom, I-I don't know what to say…" she whispered. Henna smiled and took her daughter's hand. "Say no more, love. Now, let's get to your wedding. We don't want to keep your dashing young groom waiting," she said and, smiling proudly, led her daughter to the Great Hall.

A while earlier, Eret had received his wedding gift from Edgar as well as some fatherly advice.

"Treat her right, don't go to bed without resolving any arguments and, above all, love and respect her," the Fiersome family patriarch reminded the former dragon trapper. "Yes, sir," Eret nodded dutifully. "And if I hear of you abusing my precious little gemstone…" Edgar said warningly before Eret politely cut in with, "You have my permission to decapitate me. I assure you, sir, I will be willing to take any punishment you will give me if I ever mistreat your daughter."

Edgar smiled. "And I know that you, Eret, would rather throw yourself overboard to be devoured by Scauldrons than do that. Promise me that you will look after my little girl," he said earnestly. "I will, Edgar. I promise," Eret smiled. Edgar then took something out of an old trunk. "You look fine and dandy in that groom's outfit of yours, lad, but I believe this will add a little something," Edgar told the young groom before showing the cape. Eret's amber brown eyes took in the magnificent silver wolf's fur cape and looked at Edgar in awe. "A beauty isn't it?" Edgar chuckled as he helped fasten the cape to Eret's tunic. "Yeah…I-I think my Da wore something like this once…" the former dragon trapper murmured, feeling the cape's soft fur. "Aye, he did…on the day he married your mother…" Edgar said softly. "My Mum…?" Eret asked before Edgar took a faded piece of parchment from the trunk.

"That was your father's cape. He lent it to me on the day I married Henna. After the wedding, I tried to give it back to him but he refused. He said he was afraid he would have to sell it when times became hard so he gave it to me. And I think he would have wanted you to wear it, Eret. Rollo always told me that the cape would probably be the best heirloom he could give you," Edgar smiled and handed Eret the parchment. Taking his eyes off his Da's cape, Eret looked at the parchment that had a drawing of his parents in their wedding attire. His Mum looked so beautiful, her hair adorned with flowers, while his Da looked rather handsome with the cape adding an air of regality to him. Looking at the drawing and then at his cape, Eret felt his heart grow warm at the thought of his parents. He wouldn't see them, but he could already feel their presence. And his father…who had sacrificed so much for him when he was a boy and, eventually, sacrificed his own life so he could live…he left him the very cape he wore on his wedding day just for him. In that moment, Eret wasn't really sure whether to cry, smile, or do both so the only words he could say to Edgar were, "_Thank you_."

Edgar chuckled, seeing the tears welling up in Eret's eyes and gave him a manly hug. "Come now, Eret, tears are not allowed on your wedding day. Remember, you've got a lovely bride waiting to walk down the aisle to get to you," he said but, as they left for the wedding, Eret could definitely see the tears pricking at the corners of Edgar's eyes and knew that there were definitely going to be tears at the wedding…at least they were going to be happy tears.

* * *

**For the next few paragraphs, I highly recommend listening to "Tee Shirt" by Birdy while reading ;)**

Hiccup was all smiles as he watched everyone move to their respective seats. It took some time but the villagers were able to move all the tables out and place the benches on both sides of the Great Hall, an aisle in the middle. And, as was tradition to hold a wedding on Freyja's day, he was glad that the weather was pleasant on this particular day.

The young Chief glanced at the groom. Eret was wearing a long-sleeved navy blue tunic, new black pants and boots. His hair was still in its usual thick ponytail but it looked like someone had managed to slick it back to make it look neater. His fur cape hung over his shoulders, fastened to his tunic by silver pins, and his sword was at his hip.

To his amusement, Eret looked completely calm.

"You look pretty at ease with yourself," Hiccup remarked as he stood next to Eret. "Well, I am getting married," Eret replied, calmly smiling. "So you're not at all nervous?" Hiccup asked, raising an eyebrow at him. Eret chuckled. "You're asking a former dragon trapper if he's nervous," he smiled. "And you're not?" Hiccup asked again. "Nope," Eret replied.

Then he leaned closer to Hiccup and whispered, "_I'm terrified_." Looking absolutely frightened.

Hiccup laughed and clapped a hand on Eret's shoulder. "Relax, man, everything will be fine. As your best man, I'll be with you every step of the way," he reassured him. Eret smiled gratefully at him. "Thanks for everything, Hiccup. If it weren't for you...Zenna and I would have never found each other again and this wedding wouldn't have happened. Really, thank you," he told the Chief gratefully. "Hey, it's what brothers do," Hiccup grinned. "True that," Eret smiled as they fist-bumped.

Then the doors to the Great Hall opened, a hush falling over everyone.

The wedding was about to begin.

First to come in were the Quadruplet Elemental Dragons and little El. The littlest Fiersome was the one holding the rings on a small pillow, Frost and Zap at both sides to keep him steady, while Cinder and Bloom were dropping flower petals on the floor along with Ruffnut and Heather, the bridesmaids. Astrid was the maid-of-honor and carried a basket of flower petals, also dropping them on the floor until the aisle was carpeted with flower petals. Toothless and Stryka then plodded along the hall before parting to let everyone see the bride.

Everyone gasped in awe.

Hiccup smiled lovingly as Zenna walked down the aisle with her parents. _'Zen looks every bit the_ _perfect bride,'_ Hiccup thought. Zenna was dressed in a creamy white dress with delicate violet lace flowers lining the sweetheart neckline and skirt. Her long raven black hair was also decorated with violet orchids and her bridal crown, her family heirloom, sat fitfully atop her head. And for the occasion, her eye patch was white.

Hiccup smiled and looked at Eret, who only had eyes for his beautiful bride. The former dragon trapper smiled lovingly at Zenna as she reached the end of the aisle. Zenna smiled at her parents, who smiled back at her, as they let her go to Eret. She winked at Hiccup and her one-legged surrogate brother winked back at her.

Then Gobber and Gothi stepped forward.

"Berkians, we are gathered here today to join Zenna Arrowhead Fiersome and Eret Aidan Lothbrok in holy matrimony. If anyone objects to this union, speak now or forever hold your peace," Gobber said to the crowd. Naturally, nobody objected.

"Very well, then," Gobber smiled before asking, "Who gives this woman to be wed?" To which Henna, Edgar, and El replied with, "We do."

Gothi then went to the bride and groom with the cup of bridal mead, which Zenna and Eret drank to signify their union, and murmured prayers to the gods, most of them dedicated to Freyja, the goddess of love and fertility, in order to bless the marriage.

"And now the couple shall exchange their rings and their vows and the groom shall bequeath to his bride his family sword," Eret and Zenna then faced each other. Eret was the first to speak. "I, Eret Aidan Lothbrok, take you, Zenna Arrowhead Fiersome, to be my beloved wife. From this day forward, I am forever yours and promise to always love you, protect you, honor you, respect you, fight alongside you, laugh with you, cry with you, and, most of all, be there for you no matter what. You are my goddess, my princess and everything...and I love you forever until even after the day I die," Eret said with great love.

Everyone gushed, "Awwww..." before going quiet again as Zenna said her vow.

"I, Zenna Arrowhead Fiersome, take you, Eret Aidan Lothbrok, to be my dear husband. Starting today, I am yours and yours alone. As your lawfully wedded wife, I promise to love you unconditionally and be there for you through good times and bad times, in sickness and in health. And I also promise to cry with you, fight alongside you and laugh with you, no matter how terribly corny your jokes are."

Eret laughed and shook his head with amusement while everyone else chuckled.

Then El realized that it was time for him to give his big sister and Uncle Eret the rings. Toddling over to the couple, El held up the pillow with the rings. "Thanks, sweetie..." Zenna cooed. "Good ring bearing skills there, El," Eret smiled. El giggled before going back to his chair.

Exchanging the rings, Zenna and Eret smiled. "With this ring and this sword, I pledge my love and fidelity to you," Eret told Zenna, handing her his sword. Zenna took hold of the sword and let Eret slip her wedding ring onto her finger before doing the same with him. "With this ring and the acceptance of your sword, I accept your pledge and pledge the same to you," she replied.

Once that was over, Gothi waved her staff and Gobber said, "And by the power vested in us by the gods, we now pronounce you husband and wife."

"I love you...forever," Eret whispered as he cupped Zenna's cheek in his hand. "I love you forever, too," Zenna whispered back.

And, then, they sealed their marriage with a kiss.

Everyone in the Great Hall cheered their very loudest and some (_namely Snotlout and Fishlegs) _embarrassed themselves by crying. "He gets emotional a lot," Ruffnut explained to some ogling guests and gave her chubby boyfriend a handkerchief. Heather was busy patting a sniffling Snotlout's back with a slight smile as her grandfather, who was also crying a little himself, handed her boyfriend a handkerchief and they both blew their noses at the same time. Edgar and Henna were hugging each other and smiling lovingly as their daughter and Eret kissed.

When they broke apart for air, Eret and Zenna grinned at each other. "Well, it looks like I'm stuck with you for the rest of my life," Eret chuckled. "And I am going to make sure that I playfully annoy you for the rest of your life," Zenna smiled mischievously. "I can live with that," Eret laughed and kissed her again. "Hey, one kiss during the ceremony only!" Hiccup hollered, grinning like a cat. "My wedding, my rules, Hicc!" Zenna told him cheekily before tossing her tulip bouquet into the air. All the women squealed and began pushing and shoving each other to try and catch it only to have the bouquet land in Astrid's hands. Astrid took one look at the bouquet before looking at Hiccup and they both blushed.

**Now listen to 31. Epilogue of the Frozen OST :)**

Taking Eret's hand, Zenna then led him and everyone out of the Great Hall. "Are you ready?" she asked and everyone cheered. Tapping her foot against the ground, Zenna transformed the village plaza into an ice rink. Waving her hands in the air, she lit all of the grand torches, sent a shower of flower petals and snowflakes into the air and sent up sparks to create a grand display of color and light. Everyone cheered and applauded her before heading down to the plaza to skate.

"Wheeeee!" El giggled as he and his parents went ice-skating together with Serpent and Serpentine. Hiccup and Astrid, together, unsteadily wobbled over to Zenna and Eret. "Something tells me our lives are never going to be normal again," Astrid remarked. "Astrid, we're Vikings _and _Dragon Riders. Since when has life for us ever been normal?" Hiccup asked her rhetorically. "I guess strange is our new normal, then," Eret chuckled. "And in celebration of that…" Zenna smiled and magically transformed Astrid's boots into ice skates along with Hiccup's one good boot.

"Oh, I don't know…" "We're not really that good…" Hiccup and Astrid tried to decline the offer to skate before the newlyweds pulled them onto the ice. "Come on!" "You two can do it!" Zenna pulled Hiccup along with her while Eret had Astrid. At first the two wobbled a bit, but the Quadruplet Elemental Dragons along with their own dragons helped them up. Now Hiccup and Astrid were skating together along with everyone else.

"Look out! Razorwhip and Monstrous Nightmare coming through!" Snotlout called out as he and Heather skidded by Fishlegs and the Twins. Zenna and Eret skated together, Stryka and Skullcrusher at their sides, and looked at each other lovingly.

"I love you forever," Eret smiled, pecking Zenna on the cheek. "Right back at you," Zenna smiled at him as he gave her a graceful twirl.

They'd been through Helheim and back, survived two major wars, suffered from heartbreak, but they had carried through this wonderful and mysterious thing called life. And, now, they were together and ready to start a whole new chapter of their lives.

Love does triumph over all. And Zenna and Eret had proven it.

**THE END**


End file.
